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Very strict measures have been introduced in several municipalities in eastern Norway, including Oslo, as a result of the outbreaks in Nordre Follo. Among other things, most of the stores in the malls must be closed and a full bar stop has been introduced.
It will not be relevant with relief until Wednesday at the earliest, informs the Ministry of Health and Attention Services to NTB.
– The government assessed proportionality when the measures were introduced until February 10, and believes that the measures are proportionate in the situation where Nordre Follo and the surrounding municipalities have encountered outbreaks of the most contagious variant of the coronavirus. New cases of the English mutation are still being detected in Nordre Follo, even though the municipality considers the outbreak to be over, says Secretary of State Saliba Andreas Korkunc (H) at the Ministry of Health and Care Services.
Nakstad: already relieved
Deputy Health Director Espen Rostrup Nakstad notes that measures in Halden, Nordre Follo, Oslo, Sarpsborg and Ås were lowered to a lower level earlier this week.
– Includes, among other things, the transition from red to yellow level in primary school and that leisure activities for children can be restarted. The infection situation will be reassessed next week and then a decision will be made on whether the level of measures should be abolished, adjusted or continued for some of these municipalities, he told NTB.
Nakstad says that a fairly extensive mapping work has been started that will be completed in the coming days, with test results and infection tracking.
– It’ll probably still be a few days. Then it will also be decided whether some measures are still necessary and, if so, whether they are proportionate, he says.
Nakstad boasts of the work that has been done in the municipality and of the inhabitants who have known how to follow the advice and measures that were introduced two weeks ago.
Ready to press the red button
Beware of infection tracking
Nordre Follo’s municipal chief physician, Kerstin Johnsen Myhrvold, says they have the best possible control in this situation.
– We largely experienced getting back on track we were on before this outbreak started in early January, he says.
The municipal chief physician can report declining infection rates in the municipality and that a declining proportion of those who test positive. But cases of infection are still being detected; most recently, four new cases of the mutated variant that the municipality reported on Saturday. All of these had known pathogens.
– Now we hope to have the mutated virus established in our municipality. So it is important to keep it under control, says the municipal chief.
In total, Nordre Follo has had four outbreaks of the mutated virus, at the Langhus nursing home and service center, the Tussestien kindergarten, the Kolbotn school and the Langhus health station. All are now considered above.
Now there is complete confusion
Strict measures
The government has introduced very strict crown measures in Nordre Follo and neighboring municipalities, including Oslo, as a result of the outbreaks. The reason was that it was necessary to have an overview and control the situation.
In both Nordre Follo and the neighboring municipalities of Oslo and Ås, shopping malls and gyms have been closed and a full bar has been introduced.
Furthermore, strict measures have been introduced at Lunner, Nittedal, Lillestrøm, Rælingen, Enebakk, Indre Østfold, Våler, Vestby, Moss, Frogn, Nesodden, Asker and Bærum as a result of the eruption. Shopping centers and pubs must be closed here as well, but gyms may be open to residents of the municipality themselves.
At the beginning of the outbreak, Nordre Follo introduced its own local measures in addition to the national ones, but these have now been repealed.
– Basically, now it will be up to the government to assess what will happen to the measures next, says Myhrvold.
