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Descriptively, the last committee meeting will be held digitally.
– We had physical meetings until October, but digitally, commission leader Stener Kvinnsland tells NTB.
The seasoned health leader was tasked with leading the review of how Norway coped with the pandemic. A critical review of how well prepared the country was and how the crisis was handled.
On April 14, Kvinnsland presents the report to Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H).
Holds tight
The head of the commission takes care that the content of the report is not published in advance. It is the government as a customer that will have access first. But not even the government gets to know anything about what the report contains before the presentation, according to Kvinnsland.
– There are so many complicated problems. This is so ubiquitous that it reaches across society and into all corners of people’s lives. So it is stupid if conclusions are drawn based on information that has been advanced, he says.
Law and Crisis Packages Excluded
The Crown Commission was appointed on April 24 of last year. A few weeks earlier, Erna Solberg had introduced the most intrusive measures Norway has ever had in peacetime, but the decisions were made under great uncertainty.
– We must see what has worked well, what has not worked and also what could have been better prepared, the Prime Minister said at the time.
The mandate was, in short, to analyze all aspects of how the authorities dealt with the pandemic. With two exceptions: the Commission should not consider the size of the financial compensation – that is, crisis packages – and not consider issues related to criminal liability or other legal nature.
One issue that has been demanding is that it is not yet known what effect the different measures of spreading the infection have had. The Commission has had to deal with this when evaluating the measures.
– There is nothing easier for us than for others, admits Kvinnsland.
The pandemic: before and after
The review can be roughly divided into two. One part has to do with preparation and preparations before the hit of the pandemic, and another part is about how the crisis was handled, such as cooperation, division of responsibilities and measures to limit the spread of the infection.
The Commission has also analyzed how the pandemic has been handled in other countries with which it is relevant to compare Norway.
Kvinnsland will not comment on the extent of a critical report he presents. But he notes that the mandate calls on the commission to approach the task with a critical eye, and they have.
Concrete improvement proposals are also presented to strengthen future crisis preparedness and management.
– Part of the mandate was to make recommendations, and we have done so to the extent that there is a basis for it, he says.
Put a script
The delimitation has been one of the most difficult compensations that have been made. Especially since the corona pandemic is an ongoing crisis.
However, Kvinnsland thinks it makes sense for the commission to finish its work now, as planned.
– I think it serves us better. Then you can possibly designate new research or additional study later if needed, he says.
