‘Norway to lift Covid curbs in four stages’

OSLO: Norway will lift its coronavirus restrictions in four stages, each spaced at least three weeks apart, Prime Minister Erna Solberg announced on Wednesday.

The country of 5.4 million has been relatively successful in keeping Covid-19 at bay with just over 100,000 cases and only 683 deaths. But in announcing the plans to reopen, Solberg did not want to commit to a date for a return to normal.

"The reopening must be based on data, not dates," Solberg told the Norwegian parliament. A gradual easing of restrictions will be made in the light of the epidemic situation, the capacity of the health system and the progress of rollout of vaccines, she said. Faced with a resurgence of virus cases traced to the more contagious British variant, Norwegian authorities tightened restrictions just before the Easter holidays.