Norway stops entry from Great Britain – VG

The closure takes effect immediately and will initially apply for two days, but can be extended. Several measures for UK travelers are also being strengthened.

– It is estimated that the new virus variant may be 70 percent more contagious than the original virus variant, so it is important for us to help reduce the risk of this virus spreading in Norway, says the Minister of Health and Bent Høie Care Services.

Ask everyone who has arrived from the UK in the last 14 days to test themselves and comply with the quarantine rules.

– There may be reactions if you do not appear for the test, so there will be an important follow-up work here, warns the Minister of Health.

Several countries have already closed borders to travelers from the UK after a new mutation of the virus was discovered there. A patient in Italy is also infected with the mutation.

These are the measures that will be introduced for travelers from the UK until January 10.

• PCR test (covid-19 test) within 24 hours of arrival in Norway and then a new test at the earliest on day 7 after entry from the UK.
• Perform the PCR test as soon as possible for travelers who have come to Norway from the UK in the last 2 weeks.
• Requirements for arrival registration.
• Requirement to notify the municipality where the traveler will stay.
• The current exemption from entry quarantine does not apply to travelers from the UK, with the exception of certain provisions.

It was on Saturday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson reported on the new mutation of the virus that devastated the country. Health Minister Matt Hancock followed up on Sunday, saying the situation was spiraling out of control and a series of measures would therefore need to be introduced.

The variant of the virus is much more contagious than the parent virus, but there is currently no indication that it can cause a more serious course of the disease.

The variant has also been tested on samples of nine people in Denmark, as well as the Netherlands and Australia. So far it has not been discovered in Norway.

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On Monday, a crisis meeting in the UK was announced as a result of France also choosing to suspend freight transport for 48 hours starting at midnight on Sunday. According to Reuters, the year of transport through France is the UK’s most important trade connection with Europe. Authorities fear that an interruption in freight transport could lead to food shortages in the country.

– Why do these measures last only two days?

This is because we initially need two days to get more information and an overview. This is also what many other countries have done. But if we need to expand it, we will, Health Minister Bent Høie tells VG.

It highlights that Norway already has stricter travel-related restrictions than some of the countries that introduced a denial of entry this weekend, giving us a greater chance of catching travelers.

– Many Norwegians live, study and have families in the UK. How long can this situation last?

– It’s hard to say now. This is something we will consider on an ongoing basis. We know this extremely intrusive measure. We do not want to have these kinds of rules for a long time, because they have quite negative consequences for both people and companies. But now we need to do this for 48 hours and then we have to consider how much time will be needed tomorrow, he says.