Norway opened its national borders at midnight – physical barriers have been removed

Norway’s 160 km-long national borders were opened at midnight. The physical barriers are now gone, but many people still need to be tested for coronavirus.

It will be much easier to cross the border now, especially for those who live in the border areas, for people who have cabins on the Swedish side of the border, and for people who work on one side of the border and live on the other side.

At Kornsjø, the border opening was marked by residents on the Swedish and Norwegian side meeting in the middle of the bridge to celebrate, the newspaper Halden Arbeiderblad writes.

Around 50 people arrived with Swedish and Norwegian flags on both sides of the border.

“Incomprehensible”

– It has been completely incomprehensible. It is a situation we never thought we would experience. So now we will just celebrate,” Lise Berit Grønberg, chairman of Kornsjø welfare association and initiator of the reopening party, stated.

The border between Norway and Sweden is the longest and oldest between two countries in Europe, and has remained unchanged ever since it was drawn up in the years before the treaty was signed in 1751, the newspaper VG writes.

Increased preparedness

However, the situation is still not completely back to normal. Norway continues to uphold increased preparedness, and entry restrictions are being removed gradually.

EEA citizens, persons from other countries residing in the EEA area, and people living in the United Kingdom and Switzerland can enter Norway.

Entry restrictions still apply to people living in all other countries, but with many exceptions, including fully vaccinated people, foreign students, and family visits.

Check the rules

Truls-André Hjortnæs in the Eastern Police District advises all travelers to familiarize themselves with the rules and download the app “Travel ready.”

“People still have a responsibility to be careful, try to stay infection-free, not take the infection home, and make sure to get acquainted with the rules that apply to entry,” he told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

Travelers that must get tested have to do so at the border where there is a test station. This applies to all airports with foreign traffic and the border at Svinesund and Storskog.

Those who arrive at a border crossing without a test station and who have a duty to get tested must get to Svinesund or another public test station no later than within 24 hours.

The barricades are gone

In Halden, the physical barriers were removed before the weekend, but the crossing has been formally closed until Wednesday.

Of the Municipality’s four border crossings, two were physically blocked. Kornsjø has been closed, but not physically, while the crossing at Svinesund has been open with strict corona control.

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

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