The family from Gjøvik had been visiting family in South Africa, and boarded the plane home to Norway on Thursday night.
At that time, the news of the new mutant Omikron had not yet spread around the world.
But when they stopped in the Netherlands, the tone was completely different.
During the night, disturbing reports of a new and highly contagious mutant had begun to arrive.
Was stopped
When the passengers on board the plane that landed at Schiphol in Amsterdam got ready to leave the plane, they were stopped.
Bjarte Onsrud, his wife Abigail and the two small children therefore had to spend several hours on board the plane, before the Dutch authorities decided what to do with the passengers.
Eventually, they were allowed to enter a separate part of the terminal, where everyone had to be tested. On Saturday, it became known that 61 out of 600 passengers who came from South Africa to the Netherlands had tested positive.
– It was a little surprising that there were so many. There was also not that much space in the terminal, so we were close, Onsrud says to TV 2.
It was Dagbladet who mentioned the case first.
No control
The family eventually received a negative test result, and was thus able to return to Norway. On Friday night, the Norwegian authorities announced that they had introduced strict entry restrictions for travelers from South Africa and seven other countries.
This means that everyone, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not, must be quarantined when returning from one of these countries.
But when Onsrud and the family landed at Gardermoen on Saturday morning, there was no control.
– There was not much follow-up, and we walked straight into the luggage hall. Then there was a person who asked if we had been vaccinated, and then we could in reality go straight to the parking lot, he says.
– Can barely open the door
But the 33-year-old, who is a doctor himself, felt the need to say that they came from South Africa.
Only then were they offered a test and a stay at a quarantine hotel. The first rapid test was negative.
– Now this came very quickly, so they probably have not had time to prepare. But when you are going to implement follow-up, you have to start an apparatus to follow up, Onsrud says.
Now at least three days waiting for quarantine hotels for the family.
– We have been given two single rooms that we can share. We are hardly allowed to open the door, and fresh air does not seem to be a priority either, says the 33-year-old.
Reinforces the effort
Minister of Justice and Emergency Management Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) told TV 2 on Friday night that the police will intensify their efforts at the border.
– Now there are clear rules for those who come from these countries. Then people have to deal with it, or they can risk fines and deportation if they are not Norwegian, says the minister.
She urges everyone to strongly follow the orders from the authorities about quarantine hotels and testing.
– We all have a common interest in delaying this new infection and slowing down the spread of infection as much as possible. It will be relevant for the police to follow those who may not follow the rules, says Enger Mehl.
On Saturday, the Minister of Justice praised the family for how they have handled the situation. She says border controls are being strengthened.
– We are strengthening control at the border, and the police will from today have a special focus on flights with travelers from southern Africa. That being said, we are still dependent on people taking responsibility themselves if they have been in high-infection areas, such as in southern Africa. In this way, the Onsrud family has behaved exemplary.
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