Violent street clashes break out as Norway lifts Covid restrictions after 561 days

Prime minister says Norway will not have strict Covid restrictions unless they are professionally justified

A day after Norway lifted coronavirus lockdown restrictions, the police reported several violent clashes and mass brawls as people crowded streets, bars, nightclubs and restaurants in many cities in celebration. The restrictions had been in place for 561 days.

Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg had announced on Friday that all Covid-19 restrictions will end the next day at 4pm local time. “It is 561 days since we introduced the toughest measures in Norway in peacetime. Now the time has come to return to a normal daily life,” she said. The announcement caught many Norwegians by surprise.

But hours after the restrictions were lifted, the police reported several rowdy celebrations across some of the big cities in the Nordic nation. Celebrations by Norwegians, which started on Saturday afternoon and lasted until the early hours of Sunday, led to unrest in several places, including in the southern city of Bergen and the central city of Trondheim.

Reports said that the situation was worst in Oslo, the capital city. The police received an alert about a man carrying a machete on a bus in Oslo.

“There was a significantly greater workload [on Saturday] than during the summer,” Oslo police spokesperson Rune Hekkelstrand told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. “There were a lot of people out already in the afternoon and it continued during the night.”

Ms Solberg’s decision to lift restrictions abruptly was met with criticism. One Oslo nightclub manager, Johan Hoeeg Haanes, told local newspaper VG: “That’s exactly what I predicted would happen. It was a life-threatening situation in the city because they [the government] didn’t give us at least a few days’ advance notice.”

He added that “this was a dangerous situation as police said all places were packed”.

Ms Solberg defended her decision by saying that Norway shall not have strict restrictions unless they are professionally justified. “People must be allowed to live as they wish,” she said, adding that health experts had supported her decision.

In Norway, neither vaccination status certificates nor Covid-19 test results are required to enter venues. Nearly 70 per cent of the 5.3 million population has received both shots of a Covid-19 vaccine. Around 76 per cent have had at least one dose.

Ms Solberg urged other citizens to get vaccinated. She said: “Even though everyday life is now back to normal for most people, the pandemic is not over. People will still get sick and, therefore, it is important that everyone gets vaccinated.”

Denmark lifted its Covid-19 restrictions on 10 September. Norway is the second country in the Nordic region to do the same.