16 November: The City Government is extending the social lockdown

Nå skal smitten ned! Brylluper, konfirmasjoner og store familieselskaper er forbudt de nærmeste ukene. Det er ikke lov å servere alkohol på utestedene og kino og teatrene stenges. Byrådsleder Raymond Johnsen fortalte i dag om nye tiltak for å få ned smittespredningen i Oslo.
City Government has approved a ban on indoor leisure activities and recreational sports for young people.

The City Government has approved a ban on indoor leisure activities and recreational sports for young people. At the same time, the risk level in schools is increased. Infection prevention measures in secondary schools will change from yellow to a red level of risk.

Les denne pressemeldingen på norsk.

See Advice and rules in Oslo for the measures that apply.

 

 

On 10th November, the City Government approved a social lockdown as part of the third package of measures to stop the Corona virus in Oslo. The City Government is now extending that package with additional measures:

 

Ban on organised, indoor activities for young people aged 13 to 19 years. This means that activities such as choirs, brass bands, theatre, scouts, dancing and organisations will have to stop. The ban will not apply for children under 13 years.

Ban on indoor leisure sports for young people aged 13 to 19 years. This means that training in for example football, gymnastics, handball, volleyball and athletics must stop. The ban will not apply for children under 13 years, or for outdoor sports. Neither will the ban apply to those under the age of 20 who are training at top competition level.

Change from yellow to a red level of risk in secondary schools (1315 years). This means that pupils will be divided into smaller cohorts and contact between cohorts must be avoided. Restrictions on the time spend at school and different times for pupils to start school will be considered from one school to the next.

Normal activities at youth clubs will stop, as well as Oslo’s music and performing arts school for pupils over 12 years. Very limited activities will still be allowed, with limited attendance and strict infection prevention rules, as well as rules on distancing and the size of groups and compulsory face masks.

«We know that this is a very hard message for a lot of young people, but young people between 16 and 19 years are now those with the highest levels of infection per 100,000. Young people still have a lot of mobility and many social contacts, so there are more risks of becoming infected than for other age-groups. If you get infected at school or during sports training, you will carry the virus home and risk exposing your family to the infection. That is why we chose to reinforce the package of measures from last week, and expect this to increase the likelihood of stopping the pandemic in Oslo. Our goal is to get the numbers of infections down as fast as possible, and to avoid the situation that we can see in many other European cities», said Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen (Labour).

 

The increase in infection rates among young people is a cause for concern for both national and local health authorities in Oslo. The rise in infections has resulted in many school classes and cohorts being put into quarantine, which again gives us challenges for tracing. A number of the City Districts (bydeler) have reported that the workload is now so large that the quality of tracing infections is weakened as a result.

 

«It is essential to put secondary schools on the red level of risk now, to limit the spread of the virus. All the pupils and staff in schools have made a fantastic effort throughout the pandemic. We will do what we can to follow up pupils as well as possible, in a very difficult situation», Inga Marte Thorkildsen (Socialist Left) said.

 

The new measures will take effect from 1 pm (13.00 hrs) Tuesday 16th November, but secondary schools will be at red risk level from Tuesday morning.

 

Three packages of measures this autumn

The City Government has introduced three packages of measures to stop the Corona virus this autumn

 

1st Package of measures (adopted 22nd and 29th September)

No more than 10 people at private gatherings, where everyone must be able to keep at least one metre apart.

Compulsory face masks on public transport. Face masks must be used in crowds and when you cannot keep one metre apart. The City Government advises everyone to have a face mask ready to use, not only on public transport. Face mask must be used in crowds and when you cannot keep a metre apart.

Ban on events with more than 50 participants without fixed seating. The limit to numbers at public events is reduced from 200 to 50 people. The new limit only applies for indoor events where there is no fixed seating.

Registration of guests at pubs and restaurants. All pubs and restaurants must have a system for registration, to make infection tracing more effective. Registration information will be deleted after 14 days. The City Government advises all pubs and restaurants and other activities where customers sit for more than 15 minutes, to register all guests.

2nd Package for measures (adopted 29th October)

Compulsory face masks in all public indoor spaces (shops, shopping centres) where it is not possible to keep 1 metre apart.

Compulsory face masks indoors at pubs and restaurants for staff and guests in all situations where they are not seated at a table.

Reductions in the numbers of participants at indoor events without fixed seating, from 50 to 20 people.

No new guests allowed into pubs and restaurants after 10 pm (22.00).

Compulsory home office working as far as practically possible. Employers must document that they have informed their office staff of the need to work from home as far as practically possible.

The number of contacts in social settings should not exceed 10 people over a week, apart from members of the same household and cohorts at kindergartens and primary schools.

3rd Package of measures (adopted 9th and 17th November)

Ban on all indoor events. All venues for cultural and leisure activities are closed. Cinemas, theatres, play areas, gyms and training centre, sports halls and swimming pools remain closed.

Ban on recreational sports for adults and indoor leisure activities for adults.

Ban on serving alcohol. Pubs and restaurants can stay open without serving alcohol.

Compulsory face masks for drivers and passengers in taxis.

Shops and shopping centres must provide supervision as necessary and ensure that customers can keep two metres apart.

High schools are at red level of risk, with smaller groups and stricter measures to prevent infections. A red level of risk is to be considered for secondary schools during the next two weeks.

You should not visit nursing homes if you have been in close contact with more than 10 people other than closest family / members of the same household, during the last ten days.