The Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg has announced the strictest restrictions on arrivals since the Covid pandemic began in March 2020, allowing only residents to enter the country from midnight on 29 January.
“We have constantly tightened and eased in line with how the infection situation has developed, and when the more infectious variant of the coronavirus now spreads, we find ourselves forced to introduce the strictest entry restrictions we have had since March last year," said Solberg.
"We must limit the number of visitors to Norway as much as we can for a limited period. I understand that this will have major consequences for many people, but this is necessary to limit the risk of import infection,” she said.
“We see that other countries have gone from low infection rates to uncontrolled spread in a few weeks, such as Ireland. The consequences for children and young people, the workplace and society are significant when one again has to shut down sharply over a long period of time,” she added.
Norway already has some of the strictest rules for entry in Europe. The new rules are in addition to requirements for a negative test before arrival, registration of the purpose of the trip and place of quarantine, a mandatory test at the border and statutory hotel quarantine for non-residents except in limited cases.
The measures will be reassessed in two weeks.