In the middle of the night, the middle-aged couple fled the quarantine hotel. Five minutes later they were picked up by the police.

It is estimated that between five and ten run away from quarantine hotels at Gardermoen every week. It is not uncommon for threats and handshakes against hotel employees and security guards, the police say.

Shall we see … The message came around 00.30, and five minutes later we met the car. Then they probably had not gotten that far. Let me find the log.

Svein Walle, operations manager in police district East, can once again tell about people who run away from their quarantine hotel stays.

It was Saturday night that two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, fled the quarantine hotel at Gardermoen. Thus, the police were alerted, probably by the guards at the hotel.

– In this case, we knew they were leaving the place by car. The police at Gardermoen were on their way to the hotel to obtain information about the two people, when they hit the car they were looking for, Walle says. He thinks they had the car parked at Gardermoen.

– One is in his late fifties, the other is in his early sixties. They have the same residential address, somewhere in Follo. So there are probably a couple, he says.

Handcuffs and threats

– We still have such cases. There have been both handcuffs and threats against security guards and hotel employees. Some vases around the hotel. Then they make the others who live there afraid of infection. If the hotel has problems with guests who verbally and physically express that they do not want to be there, then the police will come to take care of the emergency, Walle says.

Attack with bar stool – sentenced to three months in prison

In Trondheim, a man in his 30s was recently sentenced to 90 days in prison for attacking an employee at the quarantine hotel Quality Hotel Augustin in January. When the man was refused to have guests, he put the hotel employee on the ground and kicked and hit him in the head and body, including with a bar stool.

– We have routines if exceptional cases arise. But most people take it well, and in general we experience a good collaboration with those who are in quarantine, says Geir M. Økland, communications consultant at Nordic Choice Hotels. He will not say how many cases of violence have been registered.

The quarantine hotels receive help from both security guards and municipal employees who, among other things, register the persons who are to be quarantined.

Five to ten runs off each week

Walle does not know exactly how many times the police have had to move out.

According to Sylvia Aastad, who is unit manager in Ullensaker municipality and responsible for the seven quarantine hotels at Gardermoen, it happens between five and ten times per. week that people are trying to run away.

In the last week, the hotels have at all times had an occupancy of approx. 1600–1700 people.

Soon 80 reviews

In the Eastern Police District alone, it is now beginning to approach 80 reports for breaches of the regulations on quarantine hotels. On Tuesday 20 April, 74 reviews were registered, police inspector Anne Utaker Langseth in the Eastern police district told Dagbladet this week. In just one week in March, between 20 and 30 people left the quarantine hotels in Ullensaker illegally, reported Romerikes Blad.

The middle-aged couple who ran from the quarantine hotel night to Saturday, is thus in addition to the 74.

The reviews applied both at Oslo Airport and at the national border, Utaker Langseth stated.

Had been abroad for several weeks

The police often have to stop by the hotel to “talk to people”, says Svein Walle. Night to Saturday, they also had the resources to follow the car with the middle-aged people.

– Then they were stopped and then the two parties in the car were informed that they would be reported according to the covid-19 regulations. They said they were aware of the rules, but that they wanted to go home. They had been abroad for several weeks. They will most likely receive a hefty fine. And is told to stay at home throughout the quarantine period, says Walle.

The couple, who live in Follo, were not arrested. The police also do not have the opportunity to detain people in quarantine hotels.

Several have been fined around 20,000 kroner for leaving the quarantine hotel prematurely, alternatively 15 days in prison.

Walle does not want to say much about how big the fine will be this time, but thinks 20,000 is completely realistic.

– It can quickly be around that sum, yes. At least a relatively high fine.

– But mostly it works out, says Walle.

– For us, this goes into all the other madness that happens.

Stuck to fasten

Everyone who comes to the country after so-called “unnecessary” trips abroad must be in quarantine hotels at their own expense for at least seven days. Several hotels at the airport have been converted into quarantine hotels.

Most of those who leave the quarantine hotels before the quarantine period is over are at the hotels at Gardermoen. But also in Bergen people run. Night to Thursday, two men in their 30s were reported after they left to party, reports Bergens Tidende. The police were called by the guards, and the men are now being reported for violating the quarantine regulations.

During the Palm weekend, a corona-infected couple in their 60s were reported after they left a quarantine hotel. One of the easterners had been diagnosed with corona infection after a trip to northern Norway. They were first asked to go into isolation and quarantine, according to The magazine.

But the two still went home to Eastern Norway. When they had arrived in Stjørdal, they became tired, and received help from the municipality to take in the quarantine hotel Scandic on Hell, according to Address. The next day they also left.

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