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COVID-19

These are the new rules for Norway’s domestic Covid-19 certificate

The Norwegian government on Friday revealed more about how local authorities would use the Covid certificate and who will be eligible to use it.

Published: 19 November 2021 15:55 CET
Crowds of people on Torgata in Oslo.
The Norwegian government has unveiled more details on how the Covid certificate will work. Pictured are crowds of people in Oslo. Photo by Nick Night on Unsplash

Norway’s domestic Covid-19 certificates could be ready for use by local authorities as early as next Friday, the government announced.

“Municipalities can now use corona certificates to provide relief to the fully vaccinated, those who have tested negative or have (recovered from) Covid-19,” health minister Ingvild Kjerkol said.

The return of the health pass was announced last week in a bid to help reduce rising Covid infections and avoid more, potentially stricter, measures being introduced.

“We hope the regulations will make it easier for municipalities with locals outbreaks to make local decisions,” Kjerkol explained.

The government also announced details on how the certificate would work. Those who have been fully vaccinated, recovered from Covid in the previous 12 months and tested negative for the virus in the last 48 hours will be able to use the pass. Previously the the certificate was also available to those who had one jab.  

READ ALSO: Norway announces stricter Covid-19 border rules

The pass has been recommended for large events and use in hospitality and leisure settings such as restaurants and swimming pools.

Once regulation that permits the municipalities to use the Covid certificate is passed at some point on Friday, local authorities will have the power to implement the requirements.

The certifcate will not be adopted nationally, instead local authorities can choose to use the certificate as a means of controlling infections.

Tromsø Municipality, which is in the midst of a spike in Covid cases, has been eager to use the certificate since it was announced last week.

“We are very happy that the government has introduced the coronavirus certificates. It is important for us,” Gunna Wilhelmsen, Tromsø’s mayor, said to newspaper VG.

The health minister also offered an update on Norway’s booster vaccine program and said that she hoped that everyone aged over 65 would be offered a third dose by Christmas. The government advised local authorities to provide 16-17 year olds with the second dose as soon as possible.

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HEALTH

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization's European office warned on Tuesday the risk of Covid-19 has not gone away, saying it was still responsible for nearly 1,000 deaths a week in the region. And the real figure may be much higher.

Published: 27 June 2023 13:27 CEST
Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The global health body on May 5 announced that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency.”

“Whilst it may not be a global public health emergency, however, Covid-19 has not gone away,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters.

The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.

“Close to 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths continue to occur across the region every week, and this is an underestimate due to a drop in countries regularly reporting Covid-19 deaths to WHO,” Kluge added, and urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70 percent for vulnerable groups.

Kluge also said estimates showed that one in 30, or some 36 million people, in the region had experienced so called “long Covid” in the last three years, which “remains a complex condition we still know very little about.”

“Unless we develop comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for long Covid, we will never truly recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, encouraging more research in the area which he called an under-recognised condition.

Most countries in Europe have dropped all Covid safety restrictions but some face mask rules remain in place in certain countries in places like hospitals.

Although Spain announced this week that face masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Sweden will from July 1st remove some of its remaining Covid recommendations for the public, including advice to stay home and avoid close contact with others if you’re ill or have Covid symptoms.

The health body also urged vigilance in the face of a resurgence of mpox, having recorded 22 new cases across the region in May, and the health impact of heat waves.

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