Solberg accepts criticism for imported infection: “Quarantine was based on trust for too long”

The Prime Minister acknowledged some mistakes when she presented the Corona Commission’s report to the Norwegian parliament (Storting), but the opposition is not satisfied.

In the report, Erna Solberg (H) acknowledged, among other things, that – last autumn – the entry schemes were trust-based for too long. At the time, a new wave of infection occurred in Europe.

“At this time, we had a system in place, where the quarantine came into force for travelers from countries where the infection was above a given threshold.

“In retrospect, we must acknowledge that the quarantine obligation was based on trust for too long,” the Prime Minister said.

Solberg also said that she agrees with the Commission that the decision on intervention measures on March 12 should have been taken by the government and not the Norwegian Directorate of Health. She acknowledged that the pandemic scenarios of DBS and WHO should have been challenged.

Should have challenged accepted truths

In the Corona Commission’s 450-page report presented on April 14, the main conclusion is that the authorities’ overall handling of the pandemic has been good but that Solberg’s government was not prepared well enough when the pandemic started.

“I agree that, when it comes to emergency preparedness work, we should have – to a small extent – challenged accepted truths about how pandemics should be handled in Norway,” Solberg said.

She further pointed out that Norway was prepared for a flu pandemic but not viruses with other characteristics.

However, the opposition was not satisfied with her statements.

“Playing down” criticism

“When I hear the Prime Minister (speak), the impression is that she is playing down a lot of the criticism, many of the shortcomings and weaknesses,” Labor Party (AP) leader Jonas Gahr Støre noted.

The Socialist Left Party (SV) leader Audun Lysbakken said it was “sensational” that the Prime Minister did not accept more criticism.

The Progress Party’s (FRP) Sylvi Listhaug said that the government has failed when it comes to imported infection, while the Center Party’s (SP) Marit Arnstad thinks the report is embarrassing for Solberg.

“There’s a great paradox, because when the Conservatives formed a government, making Norway better equipped for such crises was an important election campaign promise,” she said.

During Solberg’s statement on Monday, it also became clear that the government plans to present a report to the Storting when the pandemic is over.

Furthermore, in the state budget for next year, a proposal will also be presented on how a permanent scheme for the storage of infection control equipment should be organized.

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

Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]