Mouthpiece arrangement, less social contact, bar stop and meter insertion – see all metrics

This is among the new national measures to limit contact, which the government introduced during a press conference on Tuesday evening.

See the list of all national initiatives at the bottom of the article

– The situation is now so serious that we have to take new measures to maintain control. That’s why there will be a different kind of Christmas holiday this year as well. During the press conference on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the risk of an increased burden on health services and the spread of the most contagious Omicron virus requires strict new measures to limit social contact in the community.

The new measures are based on advice from the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. There is great and growing pressure on municipal health services and hospitals. The spread of infection and the increase in hospitalizations will reduce the ability to treat corona patients and other patients.

The measures being introduced now will slow the spread of Omicron, and the goal is to avoid overcrowded hospitals.

Among the new national measures is that the meter is now being reintroduced into the public space. The government is also introducing mandatory bandages when it is not possible to keep them at least one meter apart in a number of places, including shops, restaurants and public transport. It will also be the duty of the employers to facilitate home offices wherever possible.

There will also be a national bar that stops at midnight, and alcohol can only be served on tables in restaurants.

The government recommends that you have no more than 10 guests in the house in addition to your family. One can have up to 20 guests at once during the Christmas and New Year holidays, but there should be a meter distance between the guests.

The obligation to quarantine close contacts with confirmed infection where omicron is suspected, has been extended to also other close contacts, not just family members and similar close people.

All national measures introduced Tuesday evening, are in effect from midnight through Thursday, December 9, and over the next four weeks.

A new assessment will be made in two weeks, and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store does not rule out that new measures may come next if the infection pressure is not reduced.

These are the national measures:

(Source: Regjeringen.no. The list has not been copied to Nynorsk)

Tips and recommendations

Distance and social contact

• Everyone should maintain a distance of one meter from non-family members and similarly close distance.
• The recommendation does not apply to children in kindergarten and primary school. There are also exceptions for adults who work with services for children, youth, and vulnerable groups.
• You should have no more than 10 guests in the house in addition to your family. You can have up to 20 guests at once during the Christmas and New Year holidays, but there must be a meter distance between guests. Everyone should think about how many close contacts they saw in total.
• Children in kindergarten and primary schools can receive visits from their groups/classes/departments even if they exceed the recommended number of guests.
• Reduce the number of close contacts, but do not isolate yourself.
• Meet others outdoors whenever possible.

Organized Leisure Activities

• Recreational activities should be practiced outdoors as much as possible, and changing rooms should be kept closed.
• For recreational activities organized indoors, it is recommended that adults over 20 years of age be in groups of up to 20 people. Furthermore, it is recommended that adults keep a distance indoors where the activity can be practiced, and that you maintain a distance of 2 meters during high intensity training.
• There is no specific recommendation about distance and number when children and young people under the age of 20 train and participate in sports, cultural and recreational activities.
• The best sports can be practiced as usual.

Schools, Kindergartens and SFO

• Regular testing in schools with high infection pressure.
• If necessary, the municipalities will again use the traffic light model in schools and kindergartens. The starting point is the green level, unless decided otherwise locally.
• Children’s meetings in kindergarten or primary school can be arranged with whole classes / departments / groups with the required number of adults present.
• Universities, colleges, and professional colleges as soon as possible should offer hands-on teaching in smaller groups and more digital teaching. Students who rely on laboratory experimentation or skills training should give priority to physical education.
• Universities, colleges and vocational institutes should facilitate compulsory exams and courses, whether digital or physical, where good infection control is feasible. The same applies to other educational institutions for adults.

practical life

• Recommend 1 meter distance and increased home office use.
• Recommending face masks if it is not possible to maintain a distance, unless physical barriers such as the use of barriers or the like are used.
• Home offices and face masks do not apply to services as this prevents employees from performing necessary and legal tasks in meetings with vulnerable groups, children and youth.

ventilation

• Good ventilation/ventilation is recommended in situations where you stay in the same room over time with people who are not members of the home and are similarly close.

Organized Measures

Events and gatherings

• Maximum 20 people in a private gathering in a public place, in borrowed or rented spaces
• Memorial services after funerals and burials can accommodate a maximum of 50 people. The funeral itself is a public event with fixed seating, see below.
• 3 groups of 200 people with a distance of 2 meters between groups at all times in public events with fixed custom seats.
• Maximum 50 people at public events without fixed designated seating.
• In internal events, an organizer should be appointed who has an overview of attendance and the implementation should be professionally sound.
• Casting stops at 24:00 on events with a casting licence.
• The organizer must ensure that everyone present at indoor events must be able to maintain a distance of at least one meter to others who are not in the same home or similarly close. There are exceptions for several groups, for example for athletes in cultural and sports events, participants in certain courses and those who are in the same group in kindergarten or primary school.
• In events where each member of the audience is seated in fixed designated seats, there shall be sufficient space if the organizer facilitates that the audience have at least one vacant seat among themselves in the same row of seats from the time they arrive at the event. People from the same house can sit close to each other after arrival.

Restaurants

• Ask the restaurant to ensure that everyone can maintain a distance of one meter for non-family members and similarly close. There should be at least 1 meter of space between the seats when guests arrive, but so that people in or near the same house can sit close to each other.
• Restaurants with a liquor license must have seating for all guests, but it is not a requirement for cultural events in the restaurant.
• Alcohol can only be served at the tables.
• Casting stopped at 24:00.
• The restaurant must record the contact information of the guests who agree to it.

The process responsible for fighting infection

• Assign infection control to the proper operation of kindergartens, schools and other educational and training activities. The municipalities will again use the traffic light model. Business level is green unless otherwise decided locally. It may be appropriate to reclassify all kindergartens and schools in the country back to the yellow level.
• The following businesses must be run in a proper and professional manner to be open: libraries, amusement parks, swimming pools, water parks, spa facilities, hotel pools, gymnasiums, bingo halls, game halls, shopping malls, shops, trade fairs, temporary markets and the like.
• This entails requirements to ensure that it is possible to stay at least 1 meter away from people who are not in or near the same home, and that the company has developed procedures for good hygiene, good cleaning and ventilation.
• With the exception of bookstores, shops and malls, companies must record the contact information of those guests who consent to it.
• Industry supervisors should be reintroduced eg gyms and swimming pools.

mouthpiece

• It is mandatory to use face masks when it is not possible to keep a distance of at least one meter in shops, shopping malls, restaurants, public transport, taxis and indoor station areas. The same applies to employees unless physical barriers are used.
• Oral pending orders also apply to hairdressers, dermatologists and other individual businesses.
• There is already a national recommendation to wear a face mask as there are a lot of people and it is difficult to keep a distance, for example when you are picking up your jacket after an event at the same time as many other people or on your way out of the football field.

home office

• It ordered that the employer facilitate home offices where possible without compromising on services which require an important and necessary presence for work, for example for the care of children and vulnerable groups.

quarantine

• The obligation to quarantine close contacts with a confirmed infected person where omicron is suspected, extends also to other close contacts, not just family members and similarly close people.