Strongly concerned about import infections from Poland and Lithuania. Wants...

– In the extreme consequence, we should introduce an entry ban from countries with a lot of infection and close the borders, the city council leader in Oslo believes. He is deeply concerned about the import of infection to Oslo.

In the last two weeks, 106 people have tested positive in Norway after being infected in Poland.

As Aftenposten has recently mentioned, this accounts for more than half of all imported cases of infection in Norway in recent weeks.

City councilor Raymond Johansen in Oslo is very concerned about such imported infection and calls for a number of new measures – in the worst case, a new period with closed borders.

On Monday, he presents new local initiatives in Oslo. The government announced at a press conference on Friday that it will also present new national measures next week.

Johansen will not specify what kind of measures the city council is considering, but says it will be about targeted measures to limit contact between people, mobility and ensure that you keep a distance of one meter.

He believes we have had control in Norway and Oslo in recent weeks – despite increasing infection rates.

– But in recent days, something has started to happen, both in Norway and especially in Europe. It increases the risk that we lose control, he says. He fears the consequences for the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

Fears that Norway will lose control

– Oslo is particularly vulnerable to import infections. We may like it or not, but Norway is very dependent on labor immigration from Poland and Lithuania, he says. He emphasizes that there is strong growth in infection in both countries.

Johansen points out that Poland has had a sharp increase in the number of infected people recently. Yesterday of the infection number 12.107. The death toll was 168 – the highest ever during the pandemic.

– There is an enormously steep increase in infection in Poland. I think we must build strong barriers to entry into Norway now, he says.

Wants restrictions on air traffic

The city council leader believes that this can either happen by the airlines themselves taking responsibility and canceling their flights.

– If they do not do it themselves, national authorities should do it, he believes.

He believes that Wizz Air has a particularly large responsibility, since this airline now flies in most working immigrants to Norway. He asks the company to cancel flights.

Only tomorrow, Wizz Air has set up departures from Gdansk to Stavanger, Bergen, Oslo, Ålesund, Trondheim, Kristiansand, Bodø, Molde, Haugesund, Sandefjord and Tromsø. In addition, departures from Warsaw, Katowice, Wroclaw, Szczecin, Lublin and Poznan to several of the cities, he says.

He emphasizes that he does not know if all of these will be implemented.

– But if you look at what has arrived by plane to Norway, there have been flights from Poland and the Baltics every day in the last week, he says. Norwegian and Widerøe also have regular flights between Eastern Europe and Norway.

Entry bans can be a measure

– In the extreme consequence, we should introduce a ban on entry from countries with a lot of infection and close the borders, he believes.

He believes that flights cannot be maintained solely for commercial reasons. He believes that one must now ask questions about whether it is medically justifiable with this air traffic.

– I know what I say can have major consequences for business and for the everyday lives of many. But the consequences will be even greater if we fail to do something, he says.

– If we continue to disappoint many, we must ask questions about the wisdom of this.

– Many people are very dependent on this labor immigration?

– I understand that, he says. But he suggests that Norway without new, strict measures may again end up in a situation where we must shut down society. He believes it is better to tighten sharply for a period now – and gain control – than to wait for a situation where the whole of Europe must shut down again.

More testing and enforcement of quarantine

He believes there is also a potential in more testing and quarantine – if you tighten the regulations there. In this connection, he asks a number of questions:

• Should we introduce mandatory testing on arrival, especially from countries with high infection rates? Today, testing is voluntary.
• Are the rules on entry quarantine complied with? Is it enough only with the leisure quarantine for working immigrants who do not test positive on arrival? So they can go straight to work.
• Is one test upon entry enough for those who come here to work?

He himself thinks the answer to the last question is definitely no. Some have two, but far from all. He states that the Health Service in Oslo believes that the first test only reveals a maximum of half of those who are already infected upon entry. A second test after five days would, according to the same agency, be able to detect another 44 percent of those who were infected upon entry.

He believes that there is a big difference between enforcing the regulations at large shipyards in Western Norway and in smaller companies on construction sites in Oslo. He is particularly concerned about what he calls the “more or less disorganized part” of working life.

He points out that here are many who live together in larger apartments and barracks rigs and spend long days together with a lot of physical contact.