[ad_1]
– It is quite confusing and difficult to find out what really applies. I really wanted to have my girlfriend here, and we’ve been planning it for months. Now the situation and regulations are perceived as quite confusing, Margot K. Birkeland tells Dagbladet.
She and her boyfriend Daniel Jakob Levin have not known each other physically since April 3, that is, in more than 241 days.
He is scheduled to move from Australia to Norway on January 1. In Queensland, where Levin lives, according to 9News, there have been no new cases of infection in more than three weeks.
The couple have mainly dealt with information from the UDI on entry and quarantine rules. It says that “all arrivals to Norway from red countries will be quarantined for 10 days.” As a general rule, quarantine should be done in hotels. See helsenorge.no for more detailed information on regulations.
The health authorities, for their part, affirm that the hotel quarantine order also applies to travelers from countries outside the EEA / Schengen.
– Feels like a criminal
They have planned the cabin quarantine
Birkeland and Levin were living together in Australia when the coronavirus broke out. When Birkeland’s little brother was struck by cancer, he moved to Norway to be with his family.
The couple have been able to borrow a vacation home on the outskirts of Bergen, where they have planned to stay for at least ten days, and they want to take every precaution to avoid infection in the family.
– It has been quite a lot for me the last year, so I would very much like to have it with me. We’re going back to a house with a cancer patient, so we know we have to be careful, but the thought of sitting in the same country after so long and not being seen feels very cheap, says Birkeland.
He had happily paid more for a quarantine hotel stay with his loved one, but that’s not allowed.
DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: Daniel and Margot have had to keep in touch via Facetime throughout the pandemic. Photo: Private
see more
All infections that have been detected in Queensland in the last two months have come from other countries or regions in Australia, according to the Brisbane Times.
Not a single local case has been detected during the period, despite extensive testing activity. The region has applied strict restrictions, including hotel quarantine, to control the infection.
Levin himself had to go to a quarantine hotel, when he traveled from Victoria to Brisbane a few months ago. I’d rather not have to do the same in Norway.
– If I have to, then I have to, but I would rather be in the cabin with my girlfriend if I can, he says.
The Australian believes that the Norwegian regulations do not seem clear and describes the situation as “strange”.
– We often check the authorities’ websites for updates. There are many “guidelines” and “recommendations”. There seem to be some gray areas so it’s a bit confusing figuring out what I can and can’t do. In Australia it has been very clear, there are not so many unknowns.
Counted as red areas
So what do the health authorities say? The Norwegian Health Directorate clarifies: No distinction is made between high and low infections outside the Schengen / EEA. These countries follow the same advice and rules as the red areas in Schengen / EEA.
According to Aftenposten, FHI has not prioritized seeking and sharing information on the infection situation outside the EEA and the Schengen area, as the advice for Norwegians is to avoid travel to these countries that is not strictly necessary.
– It has long been the case that all those who come from red countries must have the entry quarantine. ORThe agreement with the quarantined hotels does not change this, writes Secretary of State Lars Jacob Hiim at the Ministry of Justice in an email to Dagbladet.
He has a strong understanding that many people find the scheme demanding, but points out that we are in a situation that requires strong action.
Converted after FHI criticism
The Ministry does not wish to comment on individual cases, but does respond generally.
– Many countries are now in the red and development in Norway is not good. We see that imported infection constitutes a large part of the development of infection in Norway. Unfortunately, experience shows that it is not enough to implement the quarantine period in private homes and other places where it is difficult to keep your distance, he writes.
Regarding the information on the UDI website, Hiim notes that it refers to the main rule, as well as where more detailed information about the rules can be found.
– Authorities continually assess whether information about corona is easy to find and easy to understand, it is important to us.
No one can be forced
The quarantine hotel scheme has been discussed frequently recently, both in the media and in open Facebook groups.
The regulation was introduced on November 5. It stipulates that anyone arriving in Norway from abroad must quarantine in a quarantine hotel. Persons residing or owning a home in Norway, workers for whom the employer offers quarantine stays and Norwegian students in one of the Nordic countries are exempted from the obligation.
In an Aftenposten article, law professor Hans Petter Graver has asked a number of critical questions about the authorities’ assessments of the rapidly introduced regulations, noting that “no one can be forced to stay in quarantine hotels.”
The regulations state that you can risk a fine if you refuse. However, this can be appealed to a court. If you can document that a possible stay is “disproportionate”, you will not be punished for going to your own home, explains Graver to the same newspaper.
Secretary of State Hiim informed NRK earlier this week that the Justice Ministry is working on a new regulation following reactions to the plan, which was to be sent out for consultation during the week. The goal is a quick clarification, but it is currently unknown if there will be any changes before Christmas.
