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On Monday, the government again hit the brakes and introduced new intervention measures to stall the spread of the coronavirus in Norway.
Ultimately, the new guidelines are that in private homes, gardens or cabins you should not have more than 5 guests in addition to the members of the household. If all the guests are from the same household, there may be several. Also, you are asked not to have contact with more than ten people for a week.
This applies if you live in the center of Oslo, where there have been a dozen daily cases of infection in recent days, or if you live, for example, in Vestvågøy, where they have not recently registered an infection.
Nationally, there have been around 400 daily cases of infection. At the same time, more than 200 municipalities in Norway are currently free from coronary heart disease.
In week 43, 209 municipalities reported no new cases of infection, and of the 147 that reported cases, 93 reported fewer than 5.
– Rules made for Oslo
– People understand that this does not concern them, and then there is a risk that they will get angry, Ørjan Olsvik tells TV 2.
He is a professor of medical microbiology at the University of Tromsø and has extensive experience in infection control work around the world. He also previously worked for the US State Department of Disease Control.
Olsvik believes the government runs the risk that the strict infection measures that were introduced across Norway on Monday could go against their purpose, as people in uninfected municipalities find the restrictions make no sense.
– These are rules that have been developed for Oslo and should not apply to the rest of the country. The Lofoten Islands should have the same infection measures as in central Oslo. It can lead to civil disobedience, with people themselves considering what they think is necessary, Olsvik warns.
INFECTION PROTECTION EXPERT: Ørjan Olsvik now works as a professor at the University of Tromsø. Here’s from the time she worked on the Ebola outbreak in Mali in 2014. Photo: Lise Åserud
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The infection control expert has previously worked with outbreaks in Latin America, Bangladesh and the Ebola outbreak in Mali in 2014.
He says that one of the experiences he has taken with him in his infection control work is that the measures must appear meaningful and well-founded to stakeholders.
– You must use the resources where necessary. Always. All logic dictates that you must avoid infection of the epicenters. More resources should be used in Bergen and Oslo, and less where there is no problem, he says.
Of particular note is the situation in Finland, where authorities isolated Helsinki in March to combat the infection. The move was effective, and while Olsvik does not believe Oslo should be isolated, he believes that the resources now used across the country could have been more precisely targeted at the outbreaks in Oslo and Bergen.
– We should rather consider differentiated regional measures. Of course, you should have general infection control tips like washing your hands and being home if you are sick, but you shouldn’t waste resources on it. Eventually it will breed mistrust. It happened at Easter with the prohibition of cabins. A Finn cannot be persuaded that he is part of a charity event when he has to stop going to the hut because there could be an outbreak of infection in Hafjell, says Olsvik.
Traces of infection: – Many people find it uncomfortable to be called
Low infection does not mean you are infection free
Health Minister Bent Høie notes that health authorities have recorded 150 small and large outbreaks across the country in recent months, and that it is impossible to know where the next outbreak will come from.
– Most of those infected are infected by people they know in private contexts. This is not so strange, because it is more difficult to keep your distance from good friends than from strangers on the bus. The next local outbreak may start in a municipality where no infected person has been registered for several months. If we are to be successful in taking control of the spread of infection, we must meet fewer people and keep our distance from those we meet.
– What is the reason why those who live in municipalities with little infection must adhere to the same rules as in Oslo?
– A new wave of infections is affecting country after country in Europe. Infection is also on the rise in Norway, and we must avoid being hit by a new wave of infection. A new wave can start if a local outbreak grows out of control or if there are many local outbreaks at the same time, Høie says.
STANDING: The Minister of Health and Sanitary Services, Bent Høie, believes that it is necessary to introduce measures throughout the country to effectively reduce the infection. Photo: Ole Berg Rusten
The Minister of Health further states that the fact that no infection has been detected does not mean that the municipality is free from infection.
– The NIPH has estimated that approximately 4 out of 10 cases were discovered in September and October. Municipalities with local outbreaks are now taking local steps to reduce infection.
Høie also says that there is a disagreement between the Norwegian Health Directorate and the National Institute of Public Health on national measures.
– We have received slightly different recommendations from the Norwegian Health Directorate and the National Institute of Public Health. In some areas we are tightening a little more than recommended, and in some areas we are waiting to introduce the recommended measures. In summary, both the National Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian Health Directorate support the government’s conclusions.
– Are the health authorities afraid that this could weaken support for the national charity event?
– I have been impressed by the spirit of hard work and the will of the population to reduce infection since the coronavirus arrived in the country. Thanks to the people of Norway, we took control of the infection this spring. Thanks to the people of Norway, we will do it again.
