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After the summer, the spread of the infection has gained momentum in Norway, mainly in the larger cities of Oslo and Bergen. Since August, crown falls have doubled. In the Czech Republic, which is the country in Europe with the fastest spread of the infection, the number of cases has doubled since October 4. As in Sweden, the greatest spread of infection occurs among young adults.
Compared to most other countries, Norway is still slightly affected by the pandemic. The country has 17,233 confirmed cases, of which 270 new cases in the last 24 hours. The fact that Norway now reports just over 1,000 new cases a week is “concerning,” says Prime Minister Erna Solberg.
– I come with a heartfelt prayer. Stay one meter away, wash your hands, and stay home when you are sick. It is your responsibility, everyone must do it. If we act now, the extended family is more likely to get together and celebrate Christmas together, the prime minister said at a news conference on Friday.
– It’s something that I think everyone would value after this year.
The restrictions that will be relevant next week will be decided during the weekend. The only thing that the prime minister excludes is to close the schools again.
Director of Infectious Diseases Frode Forland.
Photograph: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB Scanpix
According to Frode Forland, Director of Infectious Diseases at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health NIPH, restrictions on public gatherings both indoors and outdoors and increased requirements for the use of mouth guards are on the list of possible measures. Even if stricter restrictions are introduced at the national level, the focus will be on strong local measures.
– Much of the spread of the infection takes place in private events, bars and workplaces. It is important to orient measures towards those contexts, says Frode Forland.
Norway has had several local outbreaks, most recently in Trondheim and at Hammerfest in northern Norway. According to Forland, control of the spread has been achieved relatively quickly with effective infection tracking.
– We assume that we now capture approximately 50 percent of cases with monitoring and testing for infections. This spring, it was about 10 percent.
The fact that the number of cases now in October is beginning to approach the levels of this spring can be explained in part by more sampling and better monitoring. More than 1.5 million tests have been carried out in Norway.
Recently, hundreds of Poles and Romanians working in Norway have brought the infection to the country. These cases are complemented by an information campaign. Frode Forland describes the job as a “linguistic and cultural challenge.”
What worries you most?
– That we have a great generalized spread of the infection that we cannot control and that the infection spreads to nursing homes and hospitals. Right now we don’t have full control over the situation in Oslo, but it remains at the same level with around 40, 50 new cases every day.
In September, strong measures were introduced to curb the infection in the capital. People are encouraged to wear mouth guards in public transportation, as well as in all places where it is not possible to stay within a meter distance, such as in shopping malls and grocery stores. All people who can be asked to work from home, restaurants are encouraged to check in their guests, and crowds of more than ten people are prohibited in private homes.
Earlier this week He warned the WHO that “covid depletion” is spreading in Europe as people stop following restrictions. According to Frode Forland, there is some fatigue in Norway, but at the same time trust in the authorities remains high.
– If we follow the recommendations and keep the infection pressure low, it means that we can keep the society more open.
Norwegian travel restrictions are related to the number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in countries and regions. If there are more than 20, the region ends up on the red list, which means quarantine demands. Right now, all of Sweden is on the red list, as new news about Kalmar arrived on Wednesday. All EU countries are on the red list, almost in some regions of Finland.
