– Do not think it will be relevant with a new lockdown – VG

This is what assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad told VG on Wednesday.

After Norway opened up at the end of September, the infection is once again on the rise. On Tuesday it was registered 1626 new cases of infection in Norway and 103 municipalities has a rising infection trend.

Since the reopening, there have been no national measures, but the health authorities have retained several infection control councils.

VG spoke earlier on Wednesday with several municipalities with high infection pressure, but which not considering introducing local measures.

Nakstad says that it is important that all municipalities that have high infection pressure now assess the situation on an ongoing basis.

– Whether they land on reinforced advice, measures or await the situation, will probably vary. The most important thing is that the situation is closely monitored in municipalities with an increasing trend of infection and increasing hospitalizations.

This is how the infection has increased in Norway:

With increasing infection, the fear is that we will again have to enter a period of national measures – or in the worst case, a new shutdown.

But according to the assistant health director, the latter is unlikely.

For now, it is first and foremost compliance with the current advice that is important, Nakstad points out.

– If we manage it, national councils and measures can be avoided. I do not think any new lockdown will be relevant in a country with such high vaccine coverage as in Norway, he adds.

– What national councils and measures may be relevant if the effect of local councils and measures is not good enough?

– Basically, many of the same infection control councils that are used municipally, can also be relevant nationally if the situation so requires, he says, and adds:

– We currently have no plans to introduce new national councils or measures from the Norwegian Directorate of Health right now, because we first want to see the effect of the municipal measures.

– What does it take for national measures to be introduced?

– If the effect of local measures is not good enough, it may be relevant.

– Where is the limit, on the number of hospitalized and new cases of infection, for national measures to be triggered?

– There is no exact limit. It is an overall assessment.

This is the development in the number of inpatients with covid-19 disease in Norway:

At the same time, Nakstad emphasizes that the national council about being at home when you are ill and that the order to isolate yourself if you become infected with corona still applies throughout Norway.

After 18 months of national action – between 12 March 2020 when the country closed down and Saturday 25 September 2021 – attached people in the streets that the time with strong restrictions on what one could do was over.

– How do you consider the initiative fatigue in Norway now? And how will it affect any national measures?

– We think people are still motivated, even though we are all tired of the pandemic now, Nakstad says.

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