Eastern Norway: – 1100 in quarantine

In one week, 114 new cases of infection have been registered in Fredrikstad.

17 of these are students in kindergarten, and primary and secondary school. 600 people in the city are in quarantine, which means that there are a total of 1100 people in quarantine in Fredrikstad and Sarspsborg, where over 500 have been quarantined.

– Serious

Nine kindergartens or primary schools in Fredrikstad are affected. The same is true of two upper secondary schools, the municipality reports.

– The infection situation in Fredrikstad is serious. When there are such large numbers, it will take little before we lose control of the transmission routes and are no longer able to frame the outbreak. The latter largely depends on everyone now complying with quarantine rules and infection control councils and contributing information about close contacts, says municipal chief physician Sofie Lund Danielsen.

Fredrikstad municipality writes in a press release that «when we get an infection in school, this affects many people. During a school day, students and teachers have frequent contact, and you potentially get many close contacts. The same applies to our kindergartens. Although infection from and between children and young people is rare, it is currently in line with the national strategy to make close contacts also in kindergarten and school, in quarantine ».

Warns against quarantine violations

– In order to limit the infection as much as possible, we have chosen to quarantine several entire departments and steps. This has led to almost 600 kindergarten children, pupils and teachers in primary and lower secondary school currently being quarantined in our municipality. In addition, schools sometimes choose to provide full-time home tuition for practical and social reasons, says Lund Danielsen.

– No one had symptoms

The municipal superintendent says it is crucial that people comply with the quarantine rules and follow the infection control advice.

– We understand that it can be difficult to stay inside when the weather is nice, and you feel in good shape. But there is reason to emphasize that the quarantine regulations are strict. It is necessary that everyone complies with the quarantine rules to prevent an even bigger outbreak, Lund Danielsen emphasizes.

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