Both Virke and NHO are pleased that there will now be some relief in the measures, but are disappointed by the lack of clarification regarding the corona certificate. LO emphasizes that it is still tough for many.
Published:
Updated yesterday 20:33
The Government changes Thursday a number of infection control measures . Here you can read reactions to the relief.
– Norway is not declared healthy until people return to work, emphasizes LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik.
She thinks it is good that the government at Thursday’s press conference opens up, so that a hard-tried restaurant and catering industry can get people back to work.
– It’s still tough for many. But even though we will experience more infection in the time ahead, we now fortunately have more knowledge, and there is reason for hope for the time ahead, she continues.
LO- the leader believes there are now two things that apply.
– We must continue to vaccinate people at a rapid pace. And we must continue to do what we can to keep people in work, she says.
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Spectrum: Wants relief in home office orders The employers’ association Spekter is also pleased that the government is easing the corona measures, and points out that the easing of the quarantine rules means that more people can come to work when they are not ill themselves.
Spekter’s CEO Anne-Kari Bratten hopes at the same time for further removal of measures, and believes that vaccine passes should be introduced as soon as practicable, if it can contribute to relief.
She believes that the government is not going far enough in softening the number restrictions on cultural events.
– That it will now be possible to have 200 spectators present under given conditions, is a step in the right direction, but I had hoped for more proportionate infection control measures rather than the standard equal treatment a very diverse cultural sector is now again exposed to, says Bratten.
The Spekter leader also wants the home office requirement to be eased.
– There is no doubt that the strict home office requirement is very challenging for many companies , especially when it comes to taking care of development tasks and creative processes, she says.
Work: Must be opened further up
Virke describes the current easing of corona measures as “a step in the right direction”. Horneland Kristensen.
The Government does not introduce corona passports now, but asks the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the National Institute of Public Health to consider specific proposals for regulations on how corona certificates can be used at events and restaurants.
– The government is positive to differentiate more between vaccinated and unvaccinated and will therefore consider this when it becomes possible to further ease the measures, says Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol.
Virke believes that corona certificates, together with the continued high pace of vaccination and frequent testing, can help keep companies open and safe workplaces when the pandemic enters a new phase.
– It is positive with some relief for cultural life and the fitness industry, but they are still subject to strict rules and number restrictions that make it difficult to operate profitably. It must be opened further up as soon as possible, says Kristensen.
NHO: Must be the last time
Working life director in NHO, Nina Melsom, is happy that the government has listened to the companies, and now allows pouring until kl. 23. However, she is disappointed by the lack of clarification on the corona certificate.
– It could have helped open up society more, especially for those companies that have been hit hard by the number restrictions. Corona certificate can help avoid serious illness and congestion in the health care system, she says. – Now we need more predictability and justification for the measures we can expect in the future. It is important for trust and support for the measures. In order to safeguard important considerations for jobs and companies, the parties in working life must be involved when the government considers measures in the future, she adds.
The head of NHO Reiseliv, Kristin Krohn Devold, emphasizes that the abolition of the liquor ban means an enormous amount for tourism and catering.
– It is high time that society is normalized, that we act as a normal European country and do not have special Norwegian measures such as pour stop. This must be the last time a bar stop is used as an infection control measure, she says.
Oslo Handelsstands Forening (OHF) are also very happy that the bar stop is lifted.
– When FHI considers the risk of infection in restaurants to be low to moderate, it should only be missing that the national liquor ban is not lifted. We are the only country in Europe that has a liquor ban and it has taken a heavy toll on the industry, says Bjørn Næss, head of OHF.
OHF is a business association for trade, service and dining in the Oslo region, with close to 2,000 members.