One day, most people have been stuck in most. Do you remember what you did when Erna Solberg stood on the pulpit and announced that the country would shut down? Five years have passed since everyday life was completely turned on its head. On March 12, 2020, the corona pandemic in Norway was a fact. But what does the leaders who ruled the country then do about the measures they introduced, and what have they learned? – I remember the day almost minute by minute Bent Høie was Minister of Health and Care in Erna Solberg’s government at that time. March 12, 2020, stood out from the other days. – I remember the day almost minute by minute. Before presenting the most intrusive measures in people’s lives in Norwegian peacetime, he got a feeling that he saw himself from the outside. – It was a huge seriousness in the minutes before we went to the pulpit and launched what I knew came to intervene in all people in Norway’s lives, he says. Bent Høie was Minister of Health and Care in Erna Solberg’s government. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe / news It was Høie who made the proposal for Erna on what to say. – The plan was for Erna to say that we should press the big red button. But my concern was that people would think we had a button we could press, he says and continues: – What we really needed was to mobilize the entire population to participate in this. NAKSTAD: Norway had benefited from being better prepared five years ago, it was former prime minister Erna Solberg who announced that Norway had to shut down. Digital teaching, home office and empty streets became the new everyday life. Today she tells news that it was necessary. She points out that the measures were not too hard and that Norway had a greater degree of freedom compared to other countries. Erna Solberg responds to the criticism that the government she ruled as prime minister during the pandemic was too slow to take action. – It was very important to stop the infection. To stop the infection, you have to stop people being together, because that’s where the infection comes, says Solberg. Espen Nakstad was only supposed to be assistant health director for 14 days during the Solberg government, but quickly became a well-known face for many. During the pandemic, he continued in the position, where he informed and guided Norwegians through the challenging time. He tells news today that the measures worked. – We eventually got half a year without pandemic and were eradicated the variant of the virus in Norway. So we got well out of the next six months, even though it was tough days, says Nakstad. He believes the biggest problem arose later in the pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021. Espen Nakstad is currently working as head of the International CBRNE Center. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe / news He points out that in Eastern Norway there was a lot of digital teaching in schools, especially in high schools and universities. – It was obvious that society had benefited from being better prepared for how to handle crises for the most vulnerable age groups, says Nakstad. In the summer of 2024, Nakstad resigned as assistant health director. Today he is the leader of the International CBRNE Center. High: Need for a better systematic approach Former director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Camilla Stoltenberg, says that she disagrees with the measures that were determined to combat the pandemic. Today she is director of NORCE Norwegian Research Center. – Did you clearly give enough advice on what was needed? – The Institute of Public Health questioned whether it was necessary to close, especially primary schools and kindergartens, she says. Former Director of the Institute of Public Health, Camilla Stoltenberg. Photo: Aurora Ytreberg Meløe / news She believes that the shutdowns could lead to the older children being started to behave so that it may not have the effect they want, and that it would have been better that they were at school with infection control measures. Bent Høie, for his part, believes that one should have systematized the way you worked for the children’s best. – I believe that there is also a problem elsewhere in society, and that a pandemic really just puts the magnifying glass on a general societal problem. Then I mean that the closure of March 12 was necessary, says Høie. – We are now discussing and shooting a different general problem. We know the package works, but we do not know about measures. So half of the measures that hit many may not have had an effect at all. How well equipped is the world for a new pandemic? Camilla Stoltenberg replies: – The world is probably not better equipped, but it is a lot about the international system working together on these things. And that they are given priority to them at a time when much else should be prioritized – and it is difficult to achieve. Espen Nakstad adds: – It is faster to produce vaccines now. And it is possible to produce quick tests for several viruses, which you can use at home. But that technology exists is not the same as it is available to us when we need it. Did Sweden solve the pandemic handling better than Norway? Bent Høie replies: – At that time, as now, my answer is that we do not know yet. He reminds that Norway and Sweden are two different countries, and says that Sweden had not necessarily had the same results as Norway, even though they had had the same restrictions. Camilla Stoltenberg adds: – When it comes to mortality, which is a measure of how to do so during the pandemic, came Sweden and Norway almost the same. Must we use mouthwash if a new pandemic comes? Espen Nakstad replies: – Not necessarily. Munn ties have something first and foremost when there are large waves of infection, a lot of infection in society and the mouthpiece is used properly, Nakstad explains. – So I don’t think it will be used more than necessary for a similar pandemic. But of course it can be different too. Have new aids come to make it easier to live with a pandemic? Camilla Stoltenberg replies: – An increased reinforced surveillance and international cooperation has been initiated. So a lot is done to get a better situation when it comes to detecting outbreaks and stopping them early, says Stoltenberg. She points out that this work depends on international funding. – And there is a large knowledge gap that should be covered, he says. Is Norway prepared for a new pandemic? Stoltenberg believes that if a new pandemic breaks out, it will not be the same. – So what is important to do differently next time is to think more about who this is striking. Then children’s best is a very important thing to think about, she says. Solberg, who will be elected in the autumn, believes that Norway is prepared for a new pandemic, and that you have learned a lot since March 12, 2020. – We have learned a lot, and we know much more. But we do not know what kind of virus is coming, and there is the big unknown in this, because there may be a completely different virus. That’s why we have to think about scenarios, what happens to different things, she says. What do you remember best from this day, or from the corona pandemic? Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in with other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our Terms of Use for Dialogue online Published 12.03.2025, at. 17.34
ttn-69
