27 March: The City of Oslo will continue its actions to prevent infection with new regulations

Note: Information about measures taken against the spread of the Corona virus is changed on an ongoing basis. This means that the information in the press release may be outdated. You will find updated information on the web page Corona virus: Information on the Corona virus and measures that have been implemented in the city of Oslo.

Read this press release in Norwegian

Since 28 February, the City government has been on emergency alert, and since 11 March this has been at the highest level. The City officials release updates about steps taken to prevent further spreading of the coronavirus.

News from the last 24 hours

• The City of Oslo will continue its actions to prevent infections with new regulations
• Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen met with city leaders from across the world online
• The Mayor and Governing Mayor have written a letter to Oslo’s residents.

The City of Oslo will continue its actions to prevent infections with new regulations

Strong measures to prevent infections in Oslo are still needed. This is the reason the City Government approved new regulations on27 March, following up the government’s tightened and extended measures to slow down the increasing spread of infections by the corona-virus. The new regulations both supplement and complement the national regulations.

According to Raymond Johansen, «We still have to keep schools and kindergartens closed and people must stay at home as much as possible. We have taken strong interventions, but these are necessary to slow down the spread of infections. By continuing our interventions, we aim to return to a normal situation as soon as possible. »

The most important measures are:

• All Oslo’s kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools, highschools / colleges and centres for vocational training and adult education are closed, in line with the national advice. The City cGovernment has also decided to keep all libraries, public swimming pools, the City museums and culture-schools closed until further notice.
• Everyone is encouraged to avoid using public transport, and preferably to cycle or walk, so that we can reduce the pressure on transport services as far as possible. Make good use of amenities in your own neighbourhood, and try to avoid the busiest sites and venues. If, despite this advice, you use public transport, take extra care to follow the personal hygiene advice, and be particularly considerate to your fellow passengers. Passengers will not be allowed on board unless the recommended distancing is adhered to. The public transport company, Ruter, has wardens who will keep an eye on the busiest transport stops. The island ferries are limited to a maximum of 30 passengers per crossing.
• Not more than 5 people should be together in any group. Outdoors and in public spaces, everyone should keep at least one metre distance apart. Indoors, everyone should keep at least two metres distance apart.
• No more than 50 people are allowed at one time in pubs, restaurants, meeting halls, stadia or public spaces in general.
• Pubs and restaurants which stay open are still forbidden to sell alcoholic drinks and must ensure that guests keep at least one metre apart. The Agency for Food and Alcohol Licensing and Inspections] will close down any pubs and restaurants which do not follow these regulations.
• Visits to patients in hospitals, and residents carehomes and other public residential units with vulnerable groups, should be limited to the aminimum.

The Vice Mayor for Health, Robert Steen, says, «We advise people to avoid using public transport, not to gather in groups of more than five people and to follow the advice from public authorities about infection prevention. »

The regulations can be viewed on the City of Oslo’s webpage.

Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen met with city leaders from across the world online

On Friday 27 March, the international network for cities, C40, held an internet meeting for more than 45 mayors from 31 countries. Their aim was to share experiences with how to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The local leaders represent 360 million people, including some of the worst affected parts of the world. The meeting was chaired by Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles.

Raymond Johansen explained, «We are in a completely unique situation, in Oslo and in the world. Therefore it is important that we can learn from each other. Cities share some very particular challenges. We live close to each other, a lot of people use public transport each day and our lives are densely interwoven. Sharing our experiences of how to fight the pandemic is very valuable for the work we are doing to prevent infections spreading in Oslo. »

The Mayors of Milan and Seoul were among the participants. These cities have both been severly hit by the corona virus. Oslo’s Governing Mayor was especially interested to hear the experiences from Seoul, having been one of the cities where the pandemic spread the quickest, to managing to slow down the contagion. Johansen also shared some of the experiences from Oslo.

Raymond Johansen told the other participants, «We have taken strong measures in Oslo, closed schools and kindergartens, most public buildings and cultural institutions, much of the business sector and banned the serving of alcohol. At the same time, we are expanding our services to support vulnerable groups, such as child-care, services for drug-abusers, elderly care and services for other vulnerable groups. Our aim is that these measures will help us bring down the infection-curve so that the health services have enough capacity, and we don’t end up in a situation such as the one we see in Milan. »

Read more about the C40 onlinemeeting, and see images from the meeting.

The Mayor and Governing Mayor have written a letter to all Oslo’s residents

Oslo is put on hold, and this demands a lot from both resident and businesses. The Mayor, Marianne Borgen, and Governing Mayor, Raymond Johansen, have written a letter to Oslo’s residents, thanking everyone for their efforts. The letter was printed and distributed on websites by most local newspapers in Oslo.

Mayor Marianne Borgen said, «We are in a very special period for our city. These are demanding days for us. But if we all follow the advice of the health authorities, our society will return to normal more quickly. So, thanks to all of those who keep our community going, and to all of you who are staying at home and following the infection prevention regulations. Together, we will get through this difficult time. »

The current measures will continue in Oslo until 13 April 2020. The Mayor and Governing Mayor encourage all Oslo’s residents to continue to follow the health advice and guidelines in the weeks ahead.

Raymond Johansen thanks everyone, saying, «We are grateful and impressed by Oslo! The health workers are doing an immense job on the front lines. Several thousand people have volunteered to contribute as health workers or as volunteers. Many people are working hard to ensure that our city keeps going. Many thanks to you all».

The letter can be read on Oslo City’s website.

Press contact

media@byr.oslo.kommune.no / +47 99 28 90 90 (not SMS)

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