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Oslo to ban private gatherings of over 10 people due to Covid-19

All of Oslo’s districts are now at the ‘red’ level for coronavirus infections. The city is to respond by introducing stricter measures to slow down spread of the virus.

Published: 21 September 2020 16:53 CEST
Oslo to ban private gatherings of over 10 people due to Covid-19
Photo: AFP

The head of the Oslo City council, Raymond Johansen, gave an update on the situation in the Norwegian capital on Monday.

Oslo has seen an increase over the last three weeks from 113 Covid-19 infections to 306 infections, broadcaster NRK reports.

Each of Oslo’s 15 districts (bydeler) now has over 20 infections per 100,000 residents during the last two weeks, putting them in the ‘red’ category for current infections, the level at which health authorities advise quarantine for travellers coming into the country.

READ ALSO: What are Norway's quarantine rules for travellers and what happens if you break them?

“The situation in Oslo is serious. We have to stop the trend and we must do it now,” Johansen said.

Measures announced by the City of Oslo on Monday include the following:

  • A ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in private homes, effective from noon on Tuesday September 22nd
  • The city council “urgently” encourages use of facemasks on T-bane (underground) trains, trams and buses
  • The public is also asked to wear facemasks in all places where it is not possible to maintain a minimum social distance of one metre, such as at shopping malls or supermarkets
  • Cafes and restaurants are asked to register all customers
  • Working from home is encouraged wherever possible

The measures apply for an initial two weeks, NRK reports.

Authorities are also considering implementing a 50-person limit on public events in the city.

“We will assess all types of events in the coming weeks,” Johansen said.

While the majority of Monday’s measures are in the form of recommendations, they could be made mandatory if the trend is not reversed, the head of the city council said.

“If the number of infections increases as it is now, we will again have to introduce interventions in Oslo. The worse we are at following anti-infection guidelines, the harder we will be hit by the pandemic,” he said.

Nationally, 678 new cases of coronavirus have been registered in Norway in the week leading up to September 21st. 23 people are currently admitted to hospital with the virus.

Norway has seen 267 deaths with coronavirus since the beginning of the global pandemic.

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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.” 

READ ALSO: 

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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