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Christmas is fast approaching and after a fall with significant social restrictions, the news of the loosening of the wreath rules at Christmas was welcome to many.
But if you think the rules mean you can meet more people than usual, you are wrong, explains Health and Care Services Minister Bent Høie to Dagbladet.
– You must be prepared to cancel on Christmas Eve
– Must comply with less otherwise
“On two of the days we are open for up to 10 guests. That means up to 10 guests on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, or other two days of your choosing during the period,” the government website stated.
When asked by Dagbladet about how they came to this decision, given that several places experience a fragile infection situation, Høie responds that the decision was made because they want to prevent both infection and loneliness at Christmas.
– That’s why we have opened ourselves so that you invite up to ten people two of the days, as long as you manage to keep at least one meter apart.
These municipalities will tighten
However, Høie emphasizes that it is not okay that you can meet more people at Christmas than otherwise.
– It’s not good that you can meet more people at Christmas. We have said that if you have more people visiting, for example on Christmas Eve, you have to meet fewer people. So these shouldn’t rise to the top, on the contrary, Høie writes in an email to Dagbladet.
In a video clip inspired by “Love Actually” on his Facebook page, the Minister of Health confirms the same message.
National recommendations state that social contact with other people should be limited. In Oslo, it is not recommended to meet more than ten people per week, in addition to work, school and leisure activities. The same tips and rules apply during Christmas and New Years, the municipality writes on its website.
– National rules say you can invite up to ten guests in addition to those you live with. You can do this twice at Christmas, Nakstad answers questions about how many people you can meet at Christmas, according to national rules.
It highlights that several municipalities have their own rules.
– Loneliness taken into account
Dagbladet has spoken to several people who are concerned that Christmas could lead to contagion. Among them are the mayor of the municipality of Porsgrunn and NTNU professor Steinar Westin.
“Like the Danes, I’m afraid we’re going to have this Christmas boom that could cost us dearly,” Westin told Dagbladet.
– That we have a situation like Denmark’s, not to mention Sweden, is the great fear.
He believes there was a desire to reduce the infection to a lower level before Christmas, but that we have not succeeded.
Fear of vaccine congestion
FHI is also concerned that the celebration of Christmas could lead to an increase in infection in society.
– We are concerned that travel both domestically and to other countries, coupled with the fact that more of us will likely gather more over the Christmas holidays than we have recently, could lead to an increase in rates of infection during and after Christmas, says the department director of FHI. Vold Line, to Dagbladet.
– In our evaluation of the Christmas Infection Control Council, we have taken as a starting point the infection situation at the time of the evaluations, the expected development and the expected effect of the measures. In addition, the measures in accordance with the Infection Control Law must be proportionate, that is, we must also pay attention to the burden of measures. At Christmas, there may be especially many who might feel lonely and isolated, and we’ve taken that into account in our advice as well, Vold continues.
– You should consider other measures
Health Minister Bent Høie understands that some people are concerned that the situation will get worse in January, just because we want a couple of days of Christmas spirit and fun.
– I understand this and therefore it is important to note that the infection control rules also apply at Christmas. We will have fun together, but at the same time you have to keep in mind that there is still infection in society, he tells Dagbladet.
Does not have infected – adopts bandage order
In Denmark, the Prime Minister expects January and February to be the worst months of the pandemic. When asked if the same is expected in Norway, Høie opens that it may be relevant to toughen up even more in January, if the infection situation dictates.
– We must have infection control measures to prevent us from finding ourselves in a situation similar to Denmark, for example. We hope the current measures are sufficient, but if infection rates rise, we should consider other measures here as well.
