Olav Thon, Raymond Johansen | Olav Thon against the Oslo City Council:

– As far as we know, there has been no infection in our hotels and restaurants, Olav Thon tells Nettavisen.

On Friday, Oslo City Councilor Raymond Johansen introduced the strictest measures in the capital since March, with a total social shutdown.

With the new rules, hotels can no longer hold events indoors, which means that courses, conferences and other social events are banned.

Also read: Olav Thon: – We are doing well without so much state support

Total dismissal

This led the Thon group as of Monday this week to complete layoffs of hotel employees in the capital and in Bergen.

– It’s a violent intervention. This means that there will be layoffs at my hotels and we will close ten hotels. Now more than 1,000 employees are being laid off, Thon says.

Read: Nakstad cautions against travel: – Find no loopholes.

Thon says that with the new measures of the Oslo City Council, it is impossible to run a hotel and a restaurant.

– I do not understand the reasoning behind the measures that have led us to have to close the hotels. We believe that the precautionary measures are too strict and, in many cases, completely unnecessary. I think the infection control rules that were in place were already strict enough in our hotels, says Thon.

Besides that, their restaurants do not serve alcohol. As of Tuesday, there is an end point in the capital. This applies not only to clubs and pubs, but also to hotel restaurants.

– It is especially strange that it is not possible to have a glass of wine with food at the Hotel Bristol. I don’t think that it is exactly the public visiting the Library Bar in Bristol that has the highest risk of infection in Oslo. But of course we must comply with orders anyway, says Thon.

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Swedish trade

Other parts of the Thon empire are also affected by the crown pandemic. This is especially true on the Swedish border, where Thon has the largest shopping centers, Nordby, Charlottenberg and Töcksfors.

– It is just related to the fact that the border between Norway and Sweden is closed, so there is much less operation. Nordby was the largest shopping center in Scandinavia, Thon says.

However, he admits that the coronavirus is also a completely new challenge for him.

– I’ve never experienced anything like this, I must say. It is amazing that an important part of Norwegian business life is simply closed. I think if this continues without the authorities intervening with completely different support schemes than they have done so far, we will see a lot of closures and bankruptcies in the next six months, says Thon.

Worried about the norwegian

Among those struggling the most is Norwegian, which was recently turned down from applications for state aid. The consequence is that Norwegian warns of large cuts in personnel and routes.

Read more here: Norwegian got the message they feared – how long they have until the box is empty.

Thon is concerned about the consequences if the airline fails.

Also read: Sissener: – Fear that it will be the death sentence for the Norwegian

– If Norwegian closes, it will mean that it will be even heavier for tourism. If you do not present support schemes that are much more widespread than what you have had thus far, you will see many major problems during the winter. When we sit on the Oil Fund and so much capital, it should be in those situations where we can use it, he says.

Olav Thon’s comments have been sent to the city council. Business Councilor Victoria Marie Evensen (Labor Party) responds as follows:

– There is no order to close hotels, but entry restrictions, event bans and dumping also affect the hotel industry. Now that infection control measures are being strengthened, specific compensation schemes must be followed. That is why today we have sent a letter to the Minister of Commerce and Industry with comments on specific measures to protect our business community.