Tonight, a majority in the Storting will, by all accounts, vote in favor of tightening the infection control act. Experiences from the corona pandemic are the backdrop for today’s decision. It is done with a full parliament and thus all the representatives present. For now, the governing parties and the Conservative Party want to amend the Infection Control Act and give future governments the opportunity to introduce isolation and quarantine measures without bypassing the Storting. – I would like to encourage all Storting representatives to feel their own democratic spinal cord reflex when the Storting votes later today, says Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug to news. ALARM BELLS: FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug warns against changing the infection control act now, as the majority is in favor of. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB It is the Progress Party that has demanded a full hall during the voting, in order to make it clear who is for and who is against the proposal. – When heavy legal professions have said that this is the wrong way to go for our democracy, the alarm bells should go off, says Listhaug. – Strongest possible intervention The argument for making the regime from the pandemic more permanent is that the government needs to act quickly and efficiently in times of crisis, and that the “normal” constitutional processes are too slow. To this, the opponents object that a state of emergency – like a pandemic – is rather an argument that the limits of the power of the government should be clearer. That the Storting can exercise control over the government is a fundamental prerequisite for democracy, believes the FRP leader. She receives support from Venstre’s Alfred Bjørlo. MEANINGFUL: The Norwegian Liberal Party’s Alfred Bjørlo warns against the tightening of the infection control act. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – This case is about the Storting transferring a general mandate to non-elected health bureaucrats to be able to make some of the strongest possible and imaginable interventions in people’s lives: Long-term quarantine and isolation, he says. – The Left strongly opposes it. The Liberal Party believes that such drastic measures must be anchored in the Storting in each individual case. We know that several of the measures during the previous corona pandemic, especially those that affected children and young people, went far too far. Defendant takes action Several newspapers have taken a leading position against the rule change. While Dagbladet has called the move an “authoritarian proposal”, VG has characterized it as “democratic madness”. Several legal experts have also reacted strongly. – The changes to the law that are being considered in the Storting are dramatic for democracy, human rights and Norwegian sovereignty, write professors Hans Petter Graver and Morten Walløe Tvedt in Aftenposten. They believe that all the changes in the law should be seen in context after a broad consideration of how the regulations are designed. PENNING: The Storting voted down the government and ended the stop on pouring during the corona pandemic. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB But despite the criticism: the majority parties are not prepared to change their position before tonight’s vote. – The change is necessary to ensure that we have sufficient emergency shelters to be able to quickly handle future health crises properly, says SP’s health policy spokesperson Lisa Marie Ness Klungland. – During the corona crisis, temporary arrangements were used. Now we make sure that you will be ready if a similar situation arises again. The Storting will still have the highest authority and will be able to vote down the government if necessary. She points out that the Storting did just that during the pandemic to end the ban on drinking. QUARANTINE: The country was shut down several times during the pandemic, which came to Norway in March 2020. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB Høyres Erlend Svardal Bøe points out that “quick and efficient handling of health crises can be decisive in protecting life and health. » – The changes in the Infection Control Act are to have the tools ready if a new pandemic occurs. It is also the case that there is a lot that needs to be done before such legal remedies can be put into use, among other things there must be a clear medical justification. But neither the Progressive Party nor the Liberal Party can be convinced by the Høyre’s arguments. Listhaug believes it is startling that the Conservative Party supports the proposal. – Here the principle should weigh much more heavily than the party whip, she says. – The Liberals find it incomprehensible that the Labor Party, SP and the Conservative Party take so lightly the relationship to the constitution and basic human rights in this very serious matter, says Bjørlo.
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Tightens the infection control law – criticism hails – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
