Norway Scales Back Most Covid-19 Restrictions

(Bloomberg) -- Norway is easing most of the measures to curb infection and aims to remove the rest in a couple of weeks as it bets a high level of vaccination will be enough to shield the health system from overloading.

Limits on guests at private gatherings, a curb on the service of alcohol in bars and restaurants, and testing after arriving at the border have all been removed, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters in Oslo on Tuesday. Face masks will still need to be worn in shops, shopping centers and on public transport where a distance of a meter can't be maintained.

Norway is joining countries such as neighboring Denmark, Ireland and the U.K. in scaling back restrictions, expecting the coronavirus to turn endemic. The omicron variant has pushed infection rates to records, but hospitalization rates have remained below highs, indicating that the milder variant and booster shots will enable the country to return to an everyday without controls.

“We have to plan for as many as 20% on sick leave,” Store said, citing estimates by health authorities. “We therefore retain some measures to prevent too many people from becoming ill and away from work at the same time.”

Health authorities forecast that as many as 4 million of the 5.4 million Norwegians will be infected by summer.

Unvaccinated travelers will still be required to show a negative test before arrival and all travelers will be required to register, regardless of whether they have received a shot or not. Restaurants will still be required to maintain a meter between groups of customers and bars won't be allowed to host activities that result in close contact, such as dancing.