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Norwegians Told to Avoid All Foreign Travel as Virus Surges

Norwegians Told to Avoid All Foreign Travel as Virus Surges

Norway’s government is now advising its citizens to avoid all unnecessary travel abroad, regardless of Covid-19 infection levels in their intended destination.

The announcement from the country’s health minister, Bent Hoie, comes amid what was described in Oslo as “an alarming” surge in coronavirus. Some 290 cases of Covid-19 have been documented in the Nordic country over the past two weeks, with a significant proportion of them coming from abroad.

“When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,” Hoie told reporters Friday. “We are therefore recommending that Norwegian citizens don’t travel abroad unnecessarily.”

Norway is also banning the sale of alcohol after midnight and is considering recommending face masks on public transport during rush hour.

The country on Thursday tightened restrictions for visitors from France, Monaco, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, who now face a quarantine upon their arrival. Hoie said border controls will also be strengthened.

Norway has had 9,468 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 256 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

Read more: Denmark Discourages Spain Travel Due to Covid-19 Resurgence

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.