12,000 Norwegians in Spain risk quarantine

At least 12,000 Norwegians are in Spain. The Norwegian Health Directorate has warned they most likely will have to go into quarantine upon arrival back home. 

-” We are using the company Everbridge, which through agreements with the telecommunications company, registers how many Norwegians sim cards are being used in Spain. As of today, July 21 2020, there are about 12,000 people.”, explains the Norwegian Health Directorate to TV2.

According to the Norwegian Health Directorate they have no “information on these sim cards other than this, either where they are in Spain, who the owners of the sim cards are, nor when they came to the country.”. 

From green to red

Norwegians in Spain have received a sms from the Health Directorate. There they are warned that Spain will probably become a red country on Friday. 

-” With the current infection situation, it is most likely that Norwegians that have travelled to Spain will be quarantined from Friday this week.” said the Assistant Health Director, Espen Rostrup Nakstad, in a press conference. 

At the end of this week, the government will decide whether Spain’s status will change from being a green country to a red country, which will mean reintroducing the requirement of quarantine when entering Norway.

-” It is the country’s status at the time of entry into Norway that decides whether you will be quarantined for 10 days or not.”, said Nakstad.

Increased rate of infection in Catalonia

Travellers from Spain that will arrive in Norway the day Spain’s status becomes red will have to be quarantined for 10 days even if the status of Spain was to change back to green during the quarantine period.

Travellers from Spain that will arrive in Norway while Spain’s status is green won’t be put in quarantine, Even if Spain’s status should be red the next day.

If this was to happen, The Norwegian Health Directorate still encourages that you monitor for possible corona symptoms and get tested if you get respiratory symptoms or fever. 

The spread of the Corona virus has increased in particularly the northern regions of Aragon and Catalonia. Infections are low in the rest of Spain. The quarantine requirement will still apply no matter where in Spain you have stayed.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today