Norway’s Minister of Health: Yes, “one-night stands” are allowed
Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) is consistently asked when one-night stands will be “allowed” again. Now he has clarified what the government really means.
“There is no ban (on ‘one-night stands’), and fortunately, there never has been during the pandemic,” Høie told NTB.
Health Director Bjørn Guldvog also commented on the issue.
“It is absolutely allowed to have ‘one-night stands.’ It has been allowed throughout the pandemic. But it is not advisable to have a lot of contacts and to change contacts on an ongoing basis,” he said.
A funny comment
During Thursday’s corona press conference, both Minister of Health Høie and Prime Minister Solberg were asked several questions about when it will be “allowed” to have “one-night stands” or casual sex again, and they did not give a clear answer.
The background is that Høie, in an interview with Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) in August, said that people would be able to “dance and go on one-night stands again” from the end of September – a phase of reopening that is currently postponed.
Høie emphasized that he really only wanted to find a popular way to talk about the one-meter rule since it is difficult to have one-night stands if you are to have a distance of one meter.
“As you remember, we advised avoiding having ‘one-night stands,’ and if you were to have it, you should have it with the one you had intended to stay with the rest of the pandemic. So, this is a funny comment to a journalist, as a follow-up to the previous funny comment,” Høie said.
When asked whether people could have a couple of one-night stands in a month, Høie replied: “We have no official advice on that. People should judge for themselves.”
Guldvog: It’s in the definition
Health Director Bjørn Guldvog did not want to set a limit on the amount of casual sex.
“It is in the definition of one-night stands that if you have it more often than once a year, then you will increase the number of contacts you have,” he said.
The main point is to limit the number of close contacts: “I don’t want to link it to ‘one-night stands,’ but having close contact with individuals – that is what increases the risk. It doesn’t matter if you have sex with them or not.”
Guldvog says that in terms of infection control, it can be just as dangerous to have close contact without sex as to have sex.
Okay to hug at home
And for people who may limit their flirting to a little cuddling or just hugging, the following advice applies: “In the public space, you should keep a distance of one meter because you do not know who else has been vaccinated,” Høie said.
When asked whether hugging is allowed for the fully vaccinated, Høie replied: “No, not in the public space. At home, where you know who the others are, you can hug. Because then you have the opportunity to have an overview of who is in the risk group.”
Finally, we can include a small moral sermon from Prime Minister Solberg during Thursday’s corona press conference: “I like to take on the role of guardian of morality. I think that good, long-term relationships are better than one-night stands,” Solberg said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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