Oslo announces major relief in corona restrictions: Face masks no longer mandatory in shops

From noon on Wednesday, large parts of Oslo’s special corona rules will be removed. The requirement to keep a distance of two meters and wear a face mask will be removed, and alcohol-serving will be allowed until midnight.

“Not all restrictions will be removed overnight, but in principle, the rules will be the same as nationally,” City Council chief Raymond Johansen (AP) said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Johansen took the opportunity to compliment the capital’s residents.

“The people of Oslo have taken responsibility and have taken care of each other. They have played a major role in ensuring that we retain control (of the infection) at the national level. Now we can begin to get used to the idea that this state of emergency is coming to an end,” he noted.

Face masks and two-meter requirements removed

Face masks are no longer required in shops in Oslo. However, people still need to wear them in public transport and taxis. 

Instead of a distance requirement of two meters, people now have to keep one meter of distance.

Several other local restrictions are removed, including the ban on more than ten people in private homes and visitor restrictions for shops, malls, fitness centers, swimming pools, and similar places.

Indoor events can accommodate 200 guests in permanent seating or 50 guests without seating.

Outdoors, it is allowed to have 600 people with permanent seats divided into three groups. Without permanent places, the limit is 200. 

Decrease in infection

The home office requirement is prolonged until July 4. The alcohol-serving stop at midnight will stay in place until the same date, regardless of whether the restriction is removed nationally.

Infection rates in Oslo have been stably low recently. In the last four days, 18, 19, 12, and 27 new COVID-19 cases have been registered, respectively.

Last week, 292 new infection cases were registered in Oslo – a solid decrease compared to the week before when the number was 596.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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