The government facilitates national corona measures – VG

The case is being updated.

From 12 October, a number of reductions will be made in national corona measures:

• Opportunity to open for events with up to 600 people outdoors
• Abolish national bar stop at 12 noon
• Open for grassroots sports for adults

– This is a new phase in our strategy, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg at the government’s press conference.

October 12 is the start date for phase one of the reopening, so that the municipalities have time to prepare.

– The plan is to be able to start up throughout the country, but where there are outbreaks, one must assess the situation locally, says Minister of Culture Abid Raja about the opening for grassroots sports. The Minister of Culture says that a phase two of the reopening of sports will be considered in November, after seeing how things go with phase one of the reopening.

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At the same time, the national bar stop is stopped at 12. The bar stop ends on the night of 13 October. In addition, it is open for outdoor events with up to 600 participants. Here, the participants must be divided into at least three cohorts with up to 200 people, where there must be at least one meter distance between each person, and at least two meters distance between the cohorts. Indoors, the limit is still 200 people.

– The venues and organizers must ensure that there is at least one meter, or one vacant seat, between people. People in the same household can of course sit next to each other, says Minister of Health Bent Høie.

In the past, a distance of two vacant seats has been practiced between each person at events – from 12 October, there will be one vacant seat between each person in places where there are fixed seats.

– Now we open – at a time when most people are tightening. Why?

– We can do it because we are a country where we have so far succeeded in reducing the infection locally. I think it is right that we then facilitate the measures. But we must be prepared for the fact that there may soon be local changes, says the Minister of Health to VG.

He points, among other things, to Bergen, which he believes is a good example of how it has been possible to reduce the infection locally.

Local measures a prerequisite for reopening

When it opens, however, it is a prerequisite that local outbreaks are reduced locally and that municipalities introduce quick and effective measures locally, both the Minister of Health and the Prime Minister emphasize:

– Now it is Oslo, Øygarden and Arendal that must take action. Rapid and effective measures at the local level are a prerequisite for us to gradually ease the measures, says Solberg.

Since the last press conference on Monday, a number of municipalities around Oslo have discussed and eventually decided to introduce similar measures or recommendations as in the capital, including the mouthpiece on public transport.

The Director of Health: Europe is in phase two of the pandemic

– Compared to almost all other countries, we have a less serious situation, says health director Bjørn Guldvog during the press conference.

He points to over 33 million infected and over one million dead from the pandemic globally. He is happy that we in Norway can keep schools and kindergartens open.

– Europe is at full speed into what is called phase two. Virtually the entire map of Europe is red, with the exception of some regions. In Moscow, the schools are now closed for two weeks after they have seen a peak of infection in the last 24 hours, he says.

NIPH will target measures against immigrants

Line Vold says that FHI still considers the infection situation in Norway to be low. Last week, there were a total of 15 ongoing outbreaks that have been followed up in various municipalities, while most of the infected are in Oslo.

– The outbreaks were related to tourism, private events, restaurants, shops, schools, kindergartens and various health services, FHI writes in its weekly report which has been published recently. Among other things, more than 50 cases of infection are now linked to the bus with pensioners who were on a round trip in Norway.

In Oslo, there are several minor outbreaks that are handled locally.

Violence says that work is being done to implement several measures aimed at immigrants.

Among all confirmed cases of infection with a known country of birth so far in the pandemic (13,579), 31 per cent, 4159 people, were born outside Norway (4159). This proportion has been approximately the same throughout the summer, but was somewhat lower at the beginning of the pandemic this spring.

The cases are distributed as follows by country of birth: Somalia (543), Pakistan (341), Iraq (332), Poland (217), Afghanistan (213), Sweden (168), Philippines (162), Iran (141), Turkey (126 ) and Russia (106).

– Among the measures are clearer and better adapted information and better contact with the immigrant communities’ organizations, she says.

FHI invests resources in analysis capacity to find out which groups are overrepresented and why. The Norwegian Directorate of Health is also strengthening this work now.