23 September: Reduced TISK (testing, isolation, tracing and quarantine) Relevance for residents of the City of Oslo

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‟The new strategy involves less quarantining, and a very limited group will experience more frequent testing. Individuals will, at the same time, have more responsibility for notifying their close contacts and encouraging them to be tested. The situation may change on an ongoing basis. Therefore, we hope that as many people as possible continue to say yes to taking the COVID-19 vaccine and follow the infection control advice that applies,” says the manager of the TISK strategy in Oslo, Elisabeth Vennevold.

In brief, reduced TISK means that there will be further easing of quarantining, testing and tracing. Persons with confirmed COVID-19 infection continue to be required to go into isolation.
Everyone who has symptoms of an airway infection must still be tested and stay home until they have a negative test and feel healthy. This applies to those who are unvaccinated, not fully vaccinated and fully vaccinated.

Testing out of quarantine

• If you are fully vaccinated and symptom-free, you do not have to go into quarantine.
• If you are not fully vaccinated and live with a person who is infected with COVID-19, or the two of you are similarly close (for example, boyfriend/girlfriend or best friend) you must go into quarantine.

Close contacts who are not fully vaccinated can avoid quarantine by following the testing regimen described below. If it applies to you, you will be directly informed about this by the infection control team in your district. Those who live with and cannot maintain adequate distance from a person who is ill, cannot undergo the testing regimen and must go into ordinary quarantine.

The testing can be carried out as a daily rapid test for seven days, or as a PCR test every other day for seven days.

Self-testing with rapid test for seven days

• If you take a rapid test each day for seven days and have a negative result, you no longer need to test yourself and can live normally.
• If you test positive on a rapid test, this must be confirmed with an ordinary COVID-19 test (PCR) at a testing station. Until you get a result on the PCR test, you are in isolation.

PCR test (ordinary COVID-19 test at a testing station) every other day for seven days

• If you take a PCR test every other day for seven days and have a negative result, you no longer need to test yourself and can live normally.
• If you are a close contact, but do not live with the infected person or are similarly close, you have no obligation to quarantine.

You can live normally while you wait for test results, but if you get symptoms of COVID-19 you must isolate yourself at home until you get a negative result. Read more about quarantining on the Norwegian Institute of Public Health website.

Isolation

In the event of a positive test, you must still isolate yourself for ten days, or longer if you still have symptoms after the ten days. The infection control team in your district will decide the length of the isolation period.

From Saturday 25 September at 16:00: In the event of a positive test, you must still isolate yourself for five days. If you still have symptoms after five days, you must isolate yourself longer. The infection control team in your district determines the length of your isolation period.

Residents will also be responsible for notifying close contacts

If you are infected with COVID-19 you have responsibility, to a greater degree than before, to notify your close contacts and recommend that they take a COVID-19 test. This also applies to fully vaccinated close contacts
The City will notify the close contacts who have a duty to undergo infection quarantine, for example those you live with and the other close contacts you list who are exposed to maximum infection.

Mass testing of children and young people at school

From and including week 41, regular testing may be introduced in schools or day care centres where infection outbreaks are discovered. This may involve classes, grades or entire schools depending on the scope of the outbreak. Regular testing will be for a short period, and it will be implemented in consultation between the school and the district's infection control team.

New changes in guidelines will be released on an ongoing basis

The City of Oslo follows guidelines set by the national authorities. These may change on an ongoing basis and may come at short notice. The City of Oslo is in a transitional phase in respect to testing and tracing. This phase is expected to last for about four weeks until it is appropriate to switch to an almost normal daily routine, with increased emergency preparedness.

Good advice to all residents of the City of Oslo in the future

• Get vaccinated against COVID-19 if you have not already done so. Remember to take both vaccine doses if you are older than 16
• If you are in a vulnerable group, get vaccinated for influenza this year
• Stay home when you are sick and get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms
• Tell your close contacts if you have COVID-19
• Continue with good hand hygiene
• Maintain a good distance from others
• Vulnerable groups - maintain distance and use face masks when this is not possible

Contact

Contact the City of Oslo

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