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Oslo to lift ban on pubs serving alcohol within a fortnight

The end is now in sight for one of the most onerous coronavirus restrictions endured by people living in Norway's capital: the ban on serving alcohol in pubs.

Published: 22 April 2020 15:45 CEST
Oslo to lift ban on pubs serving alcohol within a fortnight
A barman at Himkok in Oslo. Photo: VisitOSLO/Anders Husa
The ban was brought in on March 21 after a slew of reports of crowded pubs convinced Oslo city authorities that locals were rendered less able to following social distancing guidelines after they had consumed several beers. 
 
But according to Oslo mayor Raymond Johansen, the ban will now be lifted at the start of next month, meaning the pubs will be able to serve revellers during the May 17 National Day celebrations. 
 
“We hope that we can allow it for places that serve food early in May,” he told NRK on Wednesday. “We should not have more restrictive measures in place than are strictly necessary.” 
 
Bars that do not serve food were forced to close by an order from Norway's central government on March 12, and they will remain closed until this order is reversed. 
 
Many Oslo's inhabitants have reportedly started travelled outside the city to enjoy a beer in the sun. 
 
 

Member comments

  1. How convenient… Except May 17th means extremely large crowds, just because the procession is banned, will people not congregate?

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

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People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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