Norwegians are told to avoid ALL travel abroad as coronavirus surges

Norwegians are told to avoid ALL travel abroad as coronavirus surges

  • Health minister Bent Hoie said not to travel regardless of Covid infection levels
  • 263 virus cases have been documented in the country over the past two weeks
  • Norway also considering recommending face masks on public transport
  • Hurtigruten cruise line executive to step aside after outbreak on one of its ships

Norwegians have been told to avoid all unnecessary travel abroad amid an ‘alarming’ surge in cases in the country.

The country’s health minister, Bent Hoie, announced the tightening of rules, adding that it applied regardless of Covid-19 infection levels in their intended destination.

There have been 263 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last week in Norway with a significant proportion of them coming from abroad, according to MSN.

‘When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,’ Hoie told reporters today.

Norwegians have been told to avoid all unnecessary travel abroad amid an ‘alarming’ surge in cases in the country. There have been 263 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last week

‘We are therefore recommending that Norwegian citizens don’t travel abroad unnecessarily.’ 

The Scandinavian country also confirmed anyone arriving of the Czech Republic, France, Monaco and Switzerland from August 8 must undergo a 10-day home quarantine period, in addition the previously announced ‘red’ countries.

There have also been some changes to the quarantine-free travel from selected regions of neighbouring Sweden.

Earlier in the week, cruise ships were banned from Norwegian waters for 14 days following outbreaks on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen. 

Earlier in the week, cruise ships were banned from Norwegian waters for 14 days following outbreaks on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen (pictured)

Earlier in the week, cruise ships were banned from Norwegian waters for 14 days following outbreaks on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen (pictured)

The ship made trips around the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, with boarding and disembarking in Tromsø. The first voyage between 17-24 July had 209 guests, and the second from 24 to 31 July had 178. 

Despite the concerns for air travellers and cruise ships, the Norwegian Institute for Public Health (FHI) and the government are yet to enforce face covering on public transport.

It is believed they are considering putting in place the restriction during rush hour in big cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger.

'When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,' Hoie told reporters today

‘When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,’ Hoie told reporters today

‘We recommend that employers arrange for half of their employees to have a home office, where this is possible. Reducing the number of people traveling by public transit during rush hour is important,’ said Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg.

Health minister Hoie said that further guidance on the use of face coverings would be issued by August 14.

There is also a new nationwide ban on serving alcohol after midnight in bars and pubs, with a maximum limit of 200 people at events set to remain. 

Norway has had 9,468 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 256 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Norwegian cruise line executive suspended after virus outbreak 

Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten has asked a top executive to step aside, after a coronavirus outbreak on one of its ships led to suspended operations and a police investigation.

The Arctic cruise operator has been in hot water after an outbreak of COVID-19 was recorded on the MS Roald Amundsen.

‘On the initiative of Hurtigruten, Bent Martini is temporarily stepping down from the positions as chairman of the board and as managing director,’ CEO of Hurtigruten, Daniel Skjeldam (right) said in a statement.

‘Temporarily, he will also step down from Hurtigruten’s management,’ Skjeldam added.

Hurtigruten said it had hired a law firm and an independent auditor ‘to conduct a full investigation of the incident’.

On Monday, Norwegian police confirmed they had opened an investigation into the matter.

As of Friday 62 people – 41 among the largely Filipino crew and 21 passengers – have tested positive after two July cruises between mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic circle.