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– We have just adopted new regulations on local infection control rules with a duration until January 15, Kari Nessa Nordtun, Mayor of Stavanger, tells Dagbladet.
In addition to national recommendations, Stavanger prohibits grassroots sports and adult leisure activities for more than 10 people. They are also required to register at all restaurants and have required restaurants to ensure distance throughout the visit. Events with more than 20 people have the duty to notify the municipality.
After December 16, all orders become recommendations, except for the notification obligation.
– The infection pressure in the municipality has improved significantly recently. Yesterday we had no new infections, and that is why most locals stop the measures, says Nordtun.
– Our municipality has been incredibly good at overriding the infection control rules and participating in the charity event. Throughout the pandemic, we have no deaths related to covid-19, he continues.
It will continue to be a different Christmas in the municipality, emphasizes the mayor.
– We enter the holiday season with the pressure of infection under control, but this can change quickly along the way. With increased mobility during the Christmas holidays, we are prepared for the fact that more people may be infected during Christmas and late January. Then there may be a new regulation on local measures if this becomes necessary.
– Measures implemented early
In total, fewer than 500 tested positive for COVID-19 in Stavanger Municipality, and so far only 18 tested positive in December. By comparison, Bergen has positively tested a total of 3,970 people, while in Oslo more than 12,000 have been infected since March.
– We are a bit surprised that so few have been infected, says Runar Johannessen, chief doctor of infection control in Stavanger, to Dagbladet.
INFECTION SUPERVISION SUPERVISOR: Runar Johannessen. Photo: Private.
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He believes there may be a number of reasons why Stavanger does so much better than the other big cities.
– The course of the infection often begins cautiously, before increasing more and more and turning upward in a sharp curve. If action is taken when you have reached the steep hill, the infection will continue to escalate for a while longer. We have managed to take action before the terrain begins and break the infection before it begins, he says.
The director of infection control points out that it is difficult to calculate exactly when to take action. If introduced prematurely, there is a risk that the measures will be too intrusive under the circumstances.
– We saw how fast the infection increased in Oslo and Bergen, which gave us arguments to implement measures a little earlier, says Johannessen.
Good testability
Nordtun believes that part of the success is due to the fact that Stavanger is an international city, where they have had a strong focus on bringing information to all settings in different languages.
– The region is also very HSE-centric. This is in our spine, and we are good at thinking through scenarios and contributing quickly.
Johannessen agrees with this.
– Many also believe that our safety and health culture is high. This may be related to the oil culture, and I also wonder if we have fewer travelers in Stavanger, he speculates.
The superior notes that Stavanger had good testing ability from the start with a short lead time of around a day.
– Easy access to tests and answers within 24 hours is essential to maintain control of the spread of infection. In all situations where one starts late with follow-up and isolation, there is a danger that an outbreak is already taking place.
