Barely a month ago, the Norwegian Directorate of Health proposed that corona passes could be used, among other things, to keep sports events, cinemas and swimming pools open – if the development went the wrong way after the reopening.
On Thursday afternoon, the government met with all the country’s municipalities, where they asked the municipalities to prepare for the introduction of corona passports domestically, and become a tool for the municipalities, according to VG’s sources.
Earlier this week, Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol (Labor Party) said that the government is considering the use of corona passports, and health director Bjørn Guldvog also has confirmed to VG that this is something the Norwegian Directorate of Health and NIPH have been commissioned to look at now.
It is not long since they last did: In connection with the reopening, the previous government asked them to study contingency plans for both measures and how corona pass could be used domestically “in the event of a significantly worsening infection situation”.
The assignment was delivered on October 15, the day after a new government was in place. Since then, the arrows have continued to point upwards: Number of infected and hospitalized continues to increase, and the hospitals is under pressure.
VG does not know how the government will possibly introduce corona passports in practice now – but for a month the Norwegian Directorate of Health and NIPH had a number of proposals for how this could work.
This they agreed on
One important thing that separates the line the Norwegian Directorate of Health and FHI took on a month ago from what they have now introduced for example in Denmark, is that they did not believe the corona passport should be used as a general infection control measure in society. Instead of, for example, requiring it in all cafes and restaurants, he thought it was more appropriate to use coronapass as an alternative to shutting down or restricting certain businesses and events.
When the coronapass report was delivered a month ago, they agreed that it was not necessary to use it at that time. But they suggested several ways to do so should it change.
They both pointed out that one could consider using corona passes in the following arenas:
- Amusement parks and similar places.
- Museums.
- Cinema, theater, concert venues and similar cultural and entertainment venues.
- Gyms, swimming pools and similar places.
This does not mean that you may have used corona passes at concerts or swimming pools throughout the country.
In a draft of a regulation, the Norwegian Directorate of Health wrote that one could open up to adopt requirements for corona passports in this type of place in the municipalities. And only if the municipality would otherwise want to close the business according to the Infection Control Act, but instead could keep them open by using corona passports.
But the Norwegian Directorate of Health also went further than NIPH in the alternatives they listed in the proposal for a regulation. They added a new series of events, where they thought it might be possible to consider giving the municipalities the opportunity to adopt requirements for corona passports.
Check the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s list
The second list in the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s draft includes events in public places, or in premises and outdoor areas that are rented or lent out, including hotels, town halls, assembly halls, conference halls and halls.
Here, they thought municipalities could have the opportunity to require a corona passport, if they have local regulations that either restrict or prohibit certain types of events:
- Sports events, including competitions, cups, tournaments and matches, but not organized training.
- Cultural events, including concerts, exhibition openings, opera, ballet, theater and cinema, but not organized rehearsals, rehearsals and rehearsals.
- Seminars, conferences, courses, member meetings and other professional. gatherings, but not meetings or gatherings as part of ordinary work or teaching at school or university.
- Philosophy gatherings and ceremonies, including ceremonies at weddings, funerals, baptisms and confirmations.
- Gatherings of persons carried out under the auspices of an external actor on behalf of companies and organizations.
If a municipality were to adopt coronapass requirements for this type of event, the Norwegian Directorate of Health wrote in the draft that in that case they would also have to set a maximum limit for the number of people who could be present.
– Are the same things on the table now?
– We have made a new comprehensive assessment of domestic use, answers assistant health director Espen Nakstad.
– One of several possible measures
NIPH director Camilla Stoltenberg will not go into what NIPH has recommended to the government. But among the topics they have recommended are corona certificates.
When asked if FHI now believes it is relevant to introduce corona passports for some of the examples listed in the previous draft of a regulation, she answers.
– We consider this as one of several possible measures, and look at how other countries have chosen to do this.
– Is it relevant with a Danish type of corona passport that you have to use in restaurants, cinemas?
– We think it is relevant to look at how it is used in Europe in general, and as usual interesting to look at Nordic countries such as Denmark in particular.
- What is required for a green corona passport? If you were vaccinated with one dose more than three weeks ago, your corona passport will be green domestically. In the assignment from October, however, FHI points out that this may be necessary to change to that you must be fully vaccinated. Negative test gives a green passport for 24 hours, and you also get a green passport if you have had corona detected in the last six months.
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