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ASSEMBLY ROOM: The religious meeting took place in this single-family house and garage at the rear of Skjeberg in the municipality of Sarpsborg. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
More than 200 people have been infected after a religious gathering in a room in Sarpsborg a week ago. This may result in reviews from the municipality.
On Sunday, 25 new cases of infection were detected in Sarpsborg alone. Breaks the record they set on Saturday, with 15 cases.
At that time, probably around 80 inhabitants of the municipality have been confirmed infected in connection with the outbreak after a religious gathering at the Al-Ghadir Østfold Islamic Center.
– It is a disturbing development, but as long as our infection trackers can find the route of infection and it is within an environment, we can maintain a certain overview. It is important, it means that we do not get out of control, says Sarpsborg Mayor Sindre Martinsen Evje (Labor).
In total, more than 200 infection cases in Østfold municipalities are linked to the ongoing outbreak and more than 1,500 are in quarantine.
SERIOUS AND DEMANDING: Sarpsborg Mayor Sindre Martinsen Evje (Labor Party) describes the ongoing infection outbreak in Sarpsborg and nearby municipalities as serious and demanding. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
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– Now we must assess what has happened in the place where the infection occurred, see if there was a violation of the infection control rules and make an assessment based on facts.
– I cannot rule out that there is a reaction from the municipality in the form of a review, says Martinsen-Evje.
Al-Ghadir has already received reactions from the municipality in its meeting rooms.
– The municipality is already analyzing whether it has used a building illegally and there are two ongoing supervision cases related to it. If the building was not an approved assembly hall, there would have been too many people present, regardless of infection control rules, says the mayor.
For VG, director Sadiq Baker Alezairjawi states that he is not aware that the municipality is considering reporting.
– I have worked very well with the municipality to stop the spread, he writes in a text message.
NOT APPROVED: This building was previously a workshop. It is not approved by the municipality as a meeting place. Photo: Gisle Oddstad
The meeting rooms at Skjeberg in Sarpsborg consist of a renovated garage and a single family house. The garage is not approved for this purpose, according to the municipality.
On Wednesday, the Sarpsborg municipality sent a suspension order to Al-Ghadir, with an order to stop using the workshop as a meeting room.
There, they conclude that the premises have been put into use without the necessary permission, and that a construction work has been carried out that is subject to a request that has not been approved.
After an inspection with the local fire service, the municipality also finds a number of flaws and deficiencies, including a lack of signage for escape routes and a poor fire alarm system. In the letter, they write that they also found a connected bathroom that had not been requested.
– We sent a request to the municipality of Sarpsborg before the big feast on August 29 during the holiday ashura. The rejection of the municipality occurred on September 2. We used the house on August 29 because the lease in Fredrikstad for the old meeting place had expired, Alezairjawi told Dagbladet.
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The outbreak after the religious gathering is the largest in Norway since spring, deputy health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad told VG on Sunday.
Nakstad emphasizes that there is still a local outbreak where they currently have no reason to believe that there is much hidden spread of the infection that goes undetected.
– In other words, it does not appear to be the beginning of a new “wave of infection” as we saw in March and April, based on what we know today, says Nakstad.
