Norway Exempts From Quarantine Commuters From Sweden & Finland

Commuters from Sweden and Finland who enter Norway more than once during 15 consecutive days will not be required to follow quarantine rules, Norway’s Ministry of Health and Care Services has announced.

According to a statement published by the Ministry, from the decision will mainly benefit commuters who do not work every day from Monday to Friday, “with testing every seventh day,” SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Norway’s Ministry of Health has also clarified the exceptions for the entry quarantine for flight personnel. The Ministry stressed that the rules which apply mainly to aircraft personnel are gathered in one provision. The new rules will be applied only to aircraft personnel who started their work in Norway.

“Besides, it is emphasized that flight personnel who are covered by the entry quarantine obligation are exempted from working hours when they are to leave if they have had a shorter stop in Norway,” the statement reads.

The exemptions will also apply to primary school pupils who commute to Norway for Sami teaching and live in dormitories.

“These will now be equated with students in upper secondary school and with students who commute between Norway and Sweden or Norway and Finland from areas with a quarantine obligation,” the statement explains.

Amid the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, Norway’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security has extended the country’s internal border controls, in a bid to stop the spread of the disease.

Border controls had been introduced since March 16, as a preventive measure against the spread of the deadly virus.

Norway’s government has also updated the rules of entry by obliging all arrivals from countries profoundly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic to present a negative result of the PCR test, upon their arrival.

As yet, a total of 32,765 have contracted the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway, while 306 persons have died. The country has reported 11,503 active cases, while 20,956 have been recovered from the virus, up to this point.