Coronavirus: Norway lifts ban on flights from UK

Travellers can land in country from 2 January but will need to get negative Covid test

Norway is lifting its ban on flights from the UK (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty Images)

Norway is lifting its ban on flights from the UK after it was introduced to stop the spread of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus.  

The country’s health ministry said the restrictions would be lifted to allow planes to land from 4pm GMT on 2 January.  

Following the lead of other European nations, Norway halted travel from Britain on 21 December following news the new variant of the virus was rapidly spreading.  

Oslo on Thursday announced it would introduce mandatory Covid-19 tests for all people arriving in Norway from abroad as of 2 January, either directly upon arrival or up to 24 hours after.  

Travellers from any point of origin will need to enter the Nordic country at designated entry points where testing is available, with smaller border crossings to be closed, the justice ministry said.  

Prime minister Erna Solberg said at the time: "If this strain should spread in Norway, it will probably mean a full lockdown of society.”  

Norway's 14-day cumulative number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was down to 113.6 as of Wednesday, the fourth lowest in Europe behind Iceland, Greece and Finland, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said.  

Additional reporting by Reuters