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IN THE CITY: Nearly 200 people have been confirmed infected in Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg. People still wear a sunny Saturday in Fredrikstad. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
FREDRIKSTAD (VG) Fredrikstad municipal doctor Sofie Lund Danielsen fears she is facing Norway’s largest outbreak to date. You are now looking intensely for close contacts.
– The situation we find ourselves in now is extreme and long-lasting, said Fredrikstad municipal chief doctor Sofie Lund Danielsen on Saturday night.
Three days earlier, the municipality announced an outbreak of infection after the religious celebration at the premises of the Al-Ghadir religious community in the neighboring municipality of Sarpsborg. At the time, 42 people were confirmed to be infected.
Now 201 people have been infected and 1,100 have been quarantined.
- Fredrikstad: 133 infected
- Sarpsborg: 61 infected
- Moss: Three infected registered
- Warning: Four infected registered
Danielsen fears he is facing Norway’s largest outbreak to date.
– It has become very big, says Danielsen.
VG has asked the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) if the outbreak may be the largest in Norway, but has not received a response.
HOPE FOR HONESTY: Fredrikstad municipal chief physician Sofie Lund Danielsen wants people to better inform about close contacts. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
Has established crisis management
The Fredrikstad municipality established crisis management on Saturday night, Fredrikstad municipal director Nina Tangnæs Grønvold tells VG.
– We have decided that starting today, at 21, we have put the municipality under formal crisis management, says Grønvold.
– The situation is serious and very demanding, he emphasizes.
Grønvold says the outbreak requires more attention and even greater prioritization, describing the situation as “really critical.”
Grønvold explains that crisis management in practice will not make much of a difference to how the municipality works. The municipality of Fredrikstad had crisis management from March 12 to July 1, and to date it has had a permanent crown contingency.
– Can slide quickly
New infected people appear every day in connection with the outbreak, and the municipal chief is now concerned that they are not good enough to report close contacts.
– There have been hospitalizations in connection with this outbreak, so it is very important to remember that someone can become seriously ill, says Danielsen.
The outbreak is significantly larger than the municipality is used to, where they have had few weekly cases during the pandemic. On Friday alone, 40 people received positive test results.
– We still have a good overview, according to the conditions, but it can be lost so quickly if people can’t tell us who they have been in contact with.
In recent days, common close contacts have started to emerge among those infected. That’s a good sign, Danielsen thinks.
– Then it approaches a delimitation of the outbreak.
VERIFYING EVERYONE: Jørn Pedersen takes Viola Simensen’s temperature before she can enter the House of Literature in Fredrikstad. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
It will not help spread the virus.
At Litteraturhuset in Fredrikstad, Ord i grenseland will be organized this Saturday. Perry Aarti Olsen is a program manager at the House of Literature and says they have the ongoing outbreak in mind during the event.
– Think about it, you do. When an outbreak occurs, it will not help spread the virus. At the same time, you can’t just give up, it’s important to keep the culture within certain limits, he believes.
Therefore, they have introduced a series of measures in the House of Literature, in addition to maintaining a good overview of visitors by requiring them to sign in with an SMS when they enter the building.
ONE METRO: It doesn’t help if they live together when they belong to the great hall of the House of Literature in Fredrikstad. There, all the chairs should be one meter apart. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
– Everyone must measure temperature and use isopropyl alcohol before they can enter. All the chairs are one meter apart, regardless of whether you are in a family or not, we have our own people who splurge at the tables, and all food and drink orders are made through an app, he explains.
Aarti Olsen says she experiences that those who participate in events at the House of Literature take the pandemic seriously.
– All tickets, free or not, must be reserved in advance. We have had several who have called and said that they are not coming because they feel a little sick, and then we appreciate that they are staying home.
POPULAR: Live music at a nightclub on the pier along the Glomma draws in onlookers. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
A little worried
Idris Saleh and Jemal Osman are sitting on a bench next to Glomma Square. They keep a good distance and say they don’t know anyone who has been infected yet.
– No, I don’t know anyone who is infected or quarantined, says Saleh. Osman nods with him.
It may not be that strange. From the beginning of March to August 29, only 153 of the 82,591 residents of Fredrikstad have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus, according to VG’s corona survey.
When asked if they are concerned about being infected, they both answer no.
– As long as we follow the rules, things will be fine. It’s important to keep your distance and use rubbing alcohol, Osman says, when doing just that.
KEEP YOUR DISTANCE: Idris Saleh (left) and Jemal Osman sit a good distance away in the square in the center of Fredrikstad. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
On the Glomma promenade in downtown Fredrikstad, it is packed with people in the afternoon sun. The outdoor cafes are packed and a live band draws in spectators along the pier.
A little further down, Tor Solberg is sitting in the sun.
A LITTLE CONCERN: Tor Solberg enjoys the Saturday sun on a bench along the banks of the Glomma River. The eruption in the city worries him a bit. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
– I’m a little concerned about the infection at the moment, but not in general. Action is taken immediately and municipalities take it very seriously, he believes.
Solberg says there has been very little infection in the city and therefore little cause for concern.
– Previously, it was steel control. It’s not fun now, but luckily infection cases can be event-related, he says.
