The Norwegian authorities have proposed a bill that introduces the extension of the entry restrictions for foreigners until May 2022, as the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing rapidly across the EU. The current bill foresees the ban to remain in place until December 31, this year.
“An extension of the law does not necessarily mean that entry restrictions will apply until May 2022. The government is continuously considering whether relief can be made, and the ambition is to abolish the entry restrictions completely,” the Minister of Justice and Emergency Management, Emilie Enger Mehl, said, announcing the move.
The temporary law which obliges foreigners to undergo entry restrictions was first passed in July 2020, and it intends to restrict entry for foreigners when public health is threatened, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
The Minister further went on to say that Norway should be ready if the situation worsens as the vaccination rates in several countries remain relatively low. Furthermore, new virus variants cases are on the rise.
“I also believe it is right to present this bill to the Storting, instead of the government possibly having to use powers in the Infection Control Act to reintroduce entry restrictions in the event of a worsening of the situation,” the Minister of Justice explained.
>> Travelling to Norway: Current Rules & Restrictions
Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that Norway had reintroduced entry quarantine for unvaccinated and unrecovered travellers from red, dark red, purple and grey countries.
According to this decision, this category of travellers has to register before entering Norway, take a PCR test upon arrival and undergo a ten-day quarantine. The isolation time can be reduced by taking a test on the third day of quarantine.
Other countries on the dark red list include the UK, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Bulgaria. Moreover, the red list of countries consists of Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus.
The orange and green categories, including the rest of the EU countries, are not obliged to quarantine upon arrival. However, unvaccinated and unrecovered travellers must get tested upon arrival.
However, all fully vaccinated travellers and those who have recovered from COVID-19 can enter Norway free of quarantine requirements. In addition, holders of the EU Digital COVID-19 Certificate and other equivalent documents to EUDCC are also exempted from quarantine restrictions.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) data reveals that 477 positive cases with Coronavirus have been registered in the recent 24 hours. Moreover, about 91.8 per cent of the population in Norway has been partially vaccinated, whereas 87.2 per cent is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.