Norway’s health institute fears Oslo infection could spread to rest of country during Christmas
The National Institute of Public Health (FHI) expects an increase in local coronavirus outbreaks in the coming weeks.
“Since the balance is so fragile, we expect many more local outbreaks in the coming weeks.
“The concern is particularly related to Christmas activities and domestic travel activities before Christmas, especially students who travel home from the Oslo area to other parts of the country,” the FHI warned in its latest risk assessment on Monday.
The infection pressure is still much higher in Oslo than in the rest of the country, although the infection in the capital has decreased somewhat in recent days.
Christmas-associated risk
The main conclusion of the risk assessment is that there is a risk of the coronavirus pandemic getting out of control over the next six months.
The FHI warns that COVID-19 has the potential for rapid spread and that the epidemic will, therefore, always be unstable and difficult to control.
The report also addresses the risk outlook in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and Christmas is highlighted among factors that can increase the spread of infection.
Quarantine
The FHI expects fewer cases of imported infection from abroad to Norway in the future.
The reason is the quarantine obligation upon entry and the scheme with quarantine hotels.
The probability of increasing imported infections from abroad is now considered moderate.
“The concern in the coming weeks is particularly related to foreign people who will visit relatives in Norway at Christmas and Norwegian students and foreign workers who come home for Christmas,” the report stated.
“The probability that infected travelers to Norway will initiate local flare-ups increases with the number of people and with the proximity and duration of contact with people in Norway.
“We are therefore particularly concerned about those who come home to Norway after studies or work abroad and who decide to spend their quarantine in the family home,” the FHI stated.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
