Norway lifted its latest anti-Covid restrictions on Saturday by removing social distancing instructions and the wearing of masks in crowded spaces, despite a spike in infections with the Omicron variant. “The distance meter is disappearing. We are removing the social distancing recommendation,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told a news conference.
“We can now have social interactions like before, participating in night outs, cultural events and the like. And also when going to work on buses, trains and ferries,” he added.
People at risk called for caution
Norway had already removed most other Covid-related restrictions earlier this month, such as teleworking or limiting the size of gatherings.
The obligation to isolate for four days after a positive Covid test was downgraded on Saturday to a simple recommendation, while children with respiratory symptoms are no longer obliged to be tested.
The head of government, however, stressed that “the pandemic is not over”, and advised those who have not been vaccinated and those at risk to continue to observe social distancing and to wear masks when distancing is not possible. .
The peak of contaminations soon reached
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said the country had not yet reached the peak of Omicron variant infections, but was expected soon. The number of Covid-related hospitalizations has increased by 40% over the past week.
Since the start of the pandemic, 986,851 positive cases and 1,440 virus-related deaths have been recorded in Norway, where more than 91% of the population has received at least two doses of the vaccine.
The health institute estimates that three to four million people out of a total population of 5.4 million could be infected by this summer.