Norwegian man attempts to ski across Swedish border in a bid to avoid quarantine

A Norwegian man in his 50s attempted to ski across the Swedish mountains in a bid to avoid mandatory 10-day quarantine.

The ambitious skier is native to the Norwegian city of Trondheim, and the attempt was made not far from there.

Rough weather

Embarking on a 25-mile journey in rugged terrain, the man encountered rough weather about halfway through his trip. Lucky for him, a reindeer breeder and two fishermen offered their help in what could have otherwise been a lethal situation.

He was then taken care of in a lavvu, a temporary dwelling used by Sami people, before being helped down from the mountains by a rescue group.

According to Trond Helge Ronning from the rescue group Norsk Folkehjelp, the man wanted to return to Norway to obtain some documents before heading back to Sweden. To avoid a 10-day hotel quarantine, which is mandatory for everyone crossing the border, the man decided to ski across the mountains.

Indeed, according to local police, the man should have presented a negative COVID-19 test at the border before quarantining in a hotel.

Major consequences

According to Wenche Johnsen from Trøndelag Police District, the man should consider himself lucky to have met other people in the mountains as he would not have been able to proceed on his own. When the Trondheim man was found he was apparently cold, wet, and lost.

Johnsen proceeds by saying that the man will be sued as a result of his skiing trip. “He will be sued for breach of quarantine rules for illegal border crossing. He will likely also have to pay for the rescue mission, as it costs a lot of money to be saved by a rescue group,” she says.

“That’s a lot of trouble to avoid hotel quarantine.”

The man is currently quarantining for 10 days in a hotel and has yet to be questioned by police.

Source: #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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