Norway: Mayor announces additional COVID-19 restrictions in Oslo from November 6 /update 19

Event

Oslo's Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen announced on Friday, November 6, that additional restrictions will be enacted from midnight in an effort to curb the further spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the city. The mayor is calling the latest measures a 'social lockdown' during which Oslo will be closing theatres, cinemas, gyms, and public pools in addition to imposing a ban on the serving of alcohol. Upper secondary schools will, however, remain open with more stringent infection control measures. The additional measures will be in effect from Friday midnight and last for three weeks. 

Previously on Thursday, November 5, Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced additional nationwide restrictions amid the recent rise in positive infections. The Prime Minister encouraged residents to avoid traveling domestically and to stay at home as much as possible in the coming weeks, as well as limit social interactions. Certain nonessential businesses will also be required to close and bars and pubs will be not be permitted to operate past midnight. 

All travelers arriving into the country from countries with more than 20 confirmed new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the previous two weeks are required to quarantine on arrival. The full list of these countries can be found here.  

As of November 6, there have been 23,229 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Norway with 284 associated deaths. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell, or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the disease.