The City Government has introduced new measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus

The City Government has made the use of face-masks on public transport compulsory, events with more than 50 people in places without fixed seating indoors are no longer allowed, and it is now compulsory to register guests at restaurants and pubs.

– Today I feel a big responsibility to coordinate the national level and the capital city. That is why the City Government has considered the recommendations that Oslo received from the national health authorities, and which the Minister for Health has strongly advised us to introduce. The City Government will implement some of the recommended measures, but we are improving and adapting them so that they work well in Oslo, said the Executive Mayor Raymond Johansen (Labour).

Last week the City Government introduced several measures to reduce the spread of infection by the coronavirus. These measures included a limit of ten people in private gatherings, registering guests at pubs and restautants, use of face-masks on public transport and in situations where it is not possible to keep a metre’s distance. Employers were also required to facilitate home-office working, in line with the current Corona-guidelines. 

The new measures which the City Government is now introducing are:

  • Compulsory face-masks in public transport:
    Face-masks shall be used in crowds and when it is not possible to keep a metre’s distance. Compulsory face-masks will apply from 29th Septemer at 12:00. As before, face-masks are recommended in places where it is not possible to keep a metre’s distance.
  • Ban on events with more than 50 participants without fixed seating:
    The limit to numbers of participants at public events is reduced from 200 to 50 people. The new limits only apply for indoor events where there is no fixed seating allocation. The new limits will apply from 29th September at 12:00.
  • Registering guests at pubs and restaurants:
    All pubs and restaurants are obliged to have a system to register their guests, which will make infection-tracing more efficient. Personal data will be deleted after 14 days.

The measures in Oslo will be reviewed after 14 days.

– Oslo has been unwavering in our handling of the pandemic since early March. We have taken major steps to avoid having to close down in the way we have seen in other cities across the world. The measures that we now introducing are time-limited and targeted, and will hopefully help us to reduce the rates of infection even further, said Johansen.