– Can become an epicenter – VG

The municipality has already sounded the alarm that it is affected by wild infection – ie cases of infection that do not have a known route of infection.

On Sunday, the municipality in the innermost part of Trondheimsfjorden, registered twelve new cases of infection. This is confirmed by rapporteur Anne Berit Lein (Sp) to VG.

And just since Thursday, 33 people have been diagnosed with the infection – and at least 2,000 people have been quarantined.

Thus, it is approaching that ten percent of the municipality’s around 24,000 inhabitants are in quarantine.

– Steinkjer can be an epicenter next week, says the mayor, who adds that the increase in infection is still as they expected before the weekend.

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To Trønder-Avisa said just minutes before the crisis meeting, the mayor said that the municipality is now considering “shutting down everything to get rid of the infection”.

Municipal chief physician Sunniva Rognerud fears that the infection may branch out to neighboring municipalities.

– As of now, we have the highest infection pressure in the area and are therefore in dialogue with the neighboring municipalities. That we will lead in infection is probable – but an assumption, she emphasizes.

Several schools are involved in the outbreak, but most of the infection is related to the 8th grade at Steinkjer ungdomsskole.

Warns of further tightening

The municipality has called a meeting of the crisis management at 20.00 on Sunday.

– Then we will make an assessment of what measures are necessary. A further tightening is probably in the cards. I will not conclude in advance, but it looks likely, Mayor Lein admits.

The increased infection pressure has already led the municipality to introduce strict measures on Thursday. Among other things, there was a red level in the schools and all events were canceled.

The municipal superior also allows for new or strengthened measures.

– We will probably take action where we see we have a lot of ongoing infection, and we are in dialogue with the Norwegian Directorate of Health ahead of the meeting, Rognerud says.

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Middle school hard hit

The municipality expects that the number of infections will continue to increase in the coming days.

According to Rognerud, there are three new cases on Sunday without a known route of infection, and a total of ten without a known route of infection so far in the outbreak.

She says that the 8th grade at Steinkjer ungdomsskole is particularly hard hit.

– We do not know how the infection got into the step, but count new cases there as a known route of infection.

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