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VACCINES

Travel: Norway to scrap Covid entry quarantine for vaccinated arrivals

Norway on Wednesday announced that later this week, those who have been fully vaccinated or had coronavirus in the country can skip entry quarantine and that it would exempt vaccinated travellers using the EU's vaccine passport from entry quarantine in the near future.

Travel: Norway to scrap Covid entry quarantine for vaccinated arrivals
Oslo Gardermoen departure lounge. Photo: Jarl-Erik Storesund/Flickr

From 3pm Friday, June 11th, those fully vaccinated in Norway or who have had Covid-19 in the Nordic country will no longer be required to quarantine on entry, provided they test negative for coronavirus at the border or within two days of arrival, the government announced at a press conference. 

The change of rules coincides with the launch of Norway’s full Covid-19 certificate, which launches the same day. 

“Those who have been fully vaccinated or have had Covid-19 in the last six months, and who can document this in a safe and verifiable way (via the Covid-19 certificate), do not need to be in the entry quarantine,” Health Minister Bent Høie said at a government press conference. 

The Covid-19 certificate will be accessible via helsenorge.no.

Those who have received their first dose in Norway, at least three weeks prior to their arrival, can only leave quarantine once they return a negative PCR test after day three. 

Høie also announced those aged between 12 and 18 would be able to exit quarantine after day three if they return a negative PCR test. 

According to the Health Minister, vaccinated travellers using the EU’s vaccine passport will also be released from quarantine once the scheme is up and running in July. 

READ MORE: How will the EU’s ‘Covid passports’ work for travellers?

“Norway’s stance has always been that we want to be part of a common European solution,” Høie said at the press conference. 

The government are still advising against all non-essential international travel. Current entry restrictions also remain in place. 

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STRIKES

Fresh strike threat could ground flights from Norway

Aircraft technicians in Norway working for SAS, Norwegian, and Widerøe could strike, causing disruption for air traffic at the start of the summer holidays if mediation talks fail.

Fresh strike threat could ground flights from Norway

Beginning later this week, the union representing aircraft technicians at SAS, Norwegian, and Widerøe (Norsk Flyteknikerorganisasjonand) and the branch of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) responsible for the aviation industry, will have mediation talks on a collective bargaining agreement.

If an agreement isn’t agreed, 30 aircraft technicians will be taken out on strike – with more workers being taken out until an agreement is reached.

“The will to strike is great. If it is not resolved quickly, it is natural to register more,” Jan Skogseth, head of the union, told travel news publication Flysmart 24.

The strike could begin at midnight on Friday, disrupting air travel at the start of the school holidays in Norway. The strike could take aircraft out of rotation as there will be less staff to carry out essential maintenance on planes.

“The number of workers being taken out may sound low, but considering that there is already a shortage of aircraft technicians, a tight summer program at the same time as the holidays, it can quickly have a big impact when we have around 480 aircraft technicians in Norway in total,” Skogseth said.

However, he said that the strike would not affect flights that are critical to life and health. In 2022, the Norwegian government ordered an aircraft technician strike to an end after a strike escalation threatened to ground air ambulances.

When the Norwegian government orders a strike to end, a state body decides the outcome of the collective bargaining agreement and terms, such as wages.

Norway has seen several potential strikes averted in recent weeks. Both a pilot’s strike that would have affected Norwegian and an Avinor staff strike was resolved during mediation or mediation overtime.

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