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Norway is lifting a ban on flights from the United Kingdom that was introduced to stop the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus.
The country’s Health Ministry said the planes could land as of January 2 at 4 pm GMT.
The ban was introduced on December 21 and followed the lead of dozens of other countries that have taken similar steps to restrict or ban travel from the UK.
Norway is introducing mandatory COVID tests for all people arriving from abroad from January 2, which must be done directly on arrival or up to 24 hours later.
“If this tension were to spread in Norway, it would probably mean a total blockade of society,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday.
The variant was first detected in southeastern England and spreads up to 70% more easily, according to scientists.
Now cases have been identified in Europe, as well as the US, Australia, Canada, India and Japan.
The United States, for example, now requires travelers from the United Kingdom to have tested negative within 72 hours of departure.
Although it is not expected to be more resistant to vaccines, the greater ease of transmission means that the variant could lead to more people ending up in the hospital.
It is believed to have played a role in the recent record case numbers in the UK, and the health secretary has said the variant now compensates most infections.
Norway is doing better than most countries in Europe when it comes to limiting COVID cases.
The cumulative number of 14-day cases per 100,000 residents was 113.6 on Wednesday, the fourth lowest in Europe, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
