– Stunned of it happening – VG

– We have seen what happened at the reception of the Vinstra asylum. Then a corona eruption occurred, most likely due to relocation. I think it would be a shame if something similar happened with this measure, says Marit Bjørsvik, deacon for refugees in Ytre Arna / Bergen.

On Saturday, 59 out of 110 residents tested positive after the outbreak at the asylum reception center in Vinstra. The UDI temporarily halted all relocations to asylum reception centers this week, but writes on its pages on Friday that the relocation will continue to take place at two reception centers.

“The UDI, in close collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian Health Directorate, has considered that the relocation of residents at two receptions in December can take place safely,” writes the UDI.

Therefore, next week it is planned to transfer the residents of Arna’s reception to Florø and Stord. The contract with the operating operator at Arna’s reception expires on December 31 and by then all residents must have moved.

– Give a garbage signal. Residents were only happy when told there was a temporary stop, then notified the day after that they must be moved anyway. The residents are confused and it is an unstable situation for them.

Great tension

The municipality of Østre Toten announced on Friday night that three people have been diagnosed with the infection in an asylum reception center in the municipality, following the visit of a person from the Vinstra reception.

Everyone at the reception, about 70 people, is quarantined and examined. Exceptions are made for young children at the front desk.

Bjørsvik explains that she is particularly concerned about corona breakouts in asylum reception centers, as there is often overcrowding and thus a high risk of infection there.

– The UDI itself has said that asylum reception can be an epicenter of contagion.

– I am also concerned about the residents because many have such difficult lives from before. The last thing they need is to get a crown and they also have to move against their own will, he says.

Residents are also unable to meet locals or participate in activities in the same way that they can when there is no pandemic. Bjørsvik believes that the sum will be so large that it is very worrying.

– What surprises me a bit is that this movement is happening at all. We have a pandemic. To say that there are no alternatives in such a situation, even though there is talk of emptying and closing a reception, I do not agree with that line of thought, says Bjørsvik.

– It must be possible to house residents, since we simply have to do it because of a pandemic.

– Good team work

UDI regional director Belen V. Birkenes tells VG that they have had a dialogue with the NIPH and the municipal health authorities in the relevant municipalities to ensure that the necessary measures for a robust relocation process are in place.

– We have a very good cooperation with the municipalities both in relation to the transfer between reception and for settlement purposes, says Birkenes.

The move will be carried out in groups, and the residents will be evaluated in relation to the trip, writes the UDI on its pages.

– It is also part of the assessment that there should be enough space in the receptions to which they move, to avoid that the neighbors live too close, he says.

– a matter of principle

Petter Elstrøm at FHI says they agree that it is a challenge to move asylum seekers between reception centers, as the infection situation is now.

When asked if they recommend quarantine for residents moving from municipalities with higher infection pressure, Elstrøm responds that it is better to test everyone who moves in advance.

– In general, you should be sure of the infection status before moving to another part of the country, and especially if you come in contact with many people during or after the move, Elstrøm writes in an email to VG.

Bjørsvik says that the movement itself may well be successful, but that it is also about principle.

– It’s about what signal the UDI gives and how to handle this situation in Vinstra. I am left with the impression that the movement is so important to the UDI, that it comes first.

She believes that infection control measures during transfer to a reception center are tailored to the transfer and not the other way around.

– During the pandemic we have seen that several organizations have taken forceful and intrusive measures in a crisis situation, but here it is lived as if the UDI was adapting to the situation. It is experienced as if there are two infection control crops in Norway.