Policy solutions on alcohol play an important role in protecting citizens` health. A groundbreaking new report illustrates the deadly interaction between alcohol industry products and practices with the coronavirus pandemic. Norway will ban serving alcohol in bars and restaurants, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said as part of new COVID-19 restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Here are the rules for serving alcohol in licensed pubs and restaurants in accordance with national regulations for Covid-19 and local regulations of the city of Oslo to prevent the spread of infection. Reuters: `Norway bans serving alcohol to stop Omicron outbreak` Earlier this week, Støre said the government would lift the alcohol ban if advice received from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the Norwegian Directorate of Health indicated it was safe. OSLO, Jan 13 (Reuters) – The Norwegian government will partially lift a ban on serving alcohol in bars and restaurants, one of several policy changes aimed at easing COVID-19 restrictions, the prime minister said on Thursday. This deadly interaction between alcohol and the COVID-19 pandemic has been exposed in a groundbreaking report. Starting Wednesday, there will be an absolute alcohol bar in the country for an initial period of four weeks, the government announced Monday night. ABC News: “Norway introduces new COVID restrictions, bans serving alcohol to contain Omicron outbreak” The Norwegian government has introduced new measures to curb the spread of the UK`s COVID-19 variant in the country. One such measure is a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of alcohol in the commercial sector. The ban on serving alcohol should be lifted without increasing the risk of infection.
To achieve this, there are clear and simple rules for pubs and restaurants. These will also allow the City of Oslo to review what is happening, provide advice and take action in case of violation of the rules. OSLO, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Norway will ban the serving of alcohol in bars and restaurants, introduce stricter rules in schools and speed up vaccination to contain the outbreak of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the government said on Monday. Norway is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. The government has taken steps to tighten regulations to contain the spread of the virus. One of the new regulations is a temporary ban on serving alcohol in pubs and restaurants across the country. Reducing the availability of alcohol during the pandemic is a recommended policy solution to protect individuals and the healthcare system. This temporary ban, announced on March 23, 2021, prohibits the sale of alcohol in commercial premises such as restaurants, pubs and bars. Reducing the availability of alcohol during COVID-19 is a solution recommended by the World Health Organization to contain the spread of coronavirus and prevent other negative consequences during lockdowns. Part of Omicron`s new countermeasures is the decision to temporarily ban serving alcohol in bars and restaurants across the country. Other measures include Norway introducing stricter rules in schools and the country speeding up the vaccination campaign to limit an expected increase in the Omicron variant.
“It will not be allowed to drink alcohol in restaurants, bars or hotels,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told a news conference. The government has approved national regulations (“Covid-19 regulations”) independently of the city of Oslo. They stipulate, among other things, that all pubs and restaurants that remain open must serve food. The gradual lifting of the service ban does not apply to vendors who do not serve food. If no food is served, the premises must remain closed. As Movendi International has already reported, Norway introduced a temporary ban on the sale of alcohol as early as March 2021 to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Press release: Today, the city government agreed to lift the ban on serving alcohol from May 6 The Norwegian government has already introduced a ban on the sale of alcohol as a measure to contain COVID-19. This ban was lifted on 21 January 2021 under pressure from the alcohol industry. However, the capital Oslo maintained its temporary ban on the sale of alcohol due to a high number of infections.
Oslo Center. Norway should ban serving alcohol in pubs and restaurants, as Omicron fears. File photo: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images Experience in the first weeks after the outbreak of coronavirus has shown that it is difficult to adhere to infection prevention rules in combination with alcohol service. For this reason, the City of Oslo, together with employers` associations, trade unions and other stakeholders, set up a working group that proposed useful guidelines for reopening. Norway has announced the end of its controversial ban on serving alcohol in bars and restaurants. Although the ban has been replaced by a nationwide curfew on the sale of alcohol at 11 p.m. and mandatory table service, the news will certainly be greeted with cheers from the Norwegian hotel industry. The consumption of alcohol in restaurants, bars and hotels is prohibited in Norway during holidays. Although the daily number of positive test results in Norway has reached record levels over the past week, the number of hospitalized patients has been steadily decreasing since its peak about a month ago, when alcohol prohibition was introduced.
As reported by Movendi International, many countries in the Region have introduced time-based alcohol sales bans and improved other alcohol availability rules to curb the spread of the coronavirus, particularly during the second wave of COVID-19. The temporary sales bans follow World Health Organization advice at the beginning of the pandemic to reduce the availability of alcohol during COVID-19 lockdowns. Acting Mayor Raymond Johansen (Labour) said: “I would like to thank Oslo`s pubs and restaurants for their important contribution to containing the spread of coronavirus. The measures taken in Oslo have yielded results, so we have gradually begun to reopen parts of our society. This means that we will lift the ban on serving alcohol from May 6. At the same time, all premises must follow strict rules to ensure that infection control measures are followed. Bars and restaurants can serve alcoholic beverages until 11pm. Local time (22:00 GMT), a partial lifting of the total ban introduced in December, which hit the Nordic country`s hotel industry hard. The liquor bar was introduced on March 21 because some pubs and restaurants could not comply with infection prevention rules, such as social distancing.
By then, about 90 percent of all licensed establishments had already closed, due to the March 12 national infection control regulations. Mr Ramaphosa said his own infection served as a warning to all people in South Africa to get vaccinated and remain vigilant against exposure, according to the statement. Vaccination remains the best protection against serious illness and hospital admissions, he said. Norway`s new restrictions could raise doubts about the central bank`s plan to raise interest rates later this week, DNB Markets said. “A lack of action could now have major negative consequences for society, and not just for health services and communities,” the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) said. He delegated all tasks for next week to Vice President David Mabuza. Last week, Ramaphosa visited four West African countries. He and all members of his delegation were tested for Covid-19 in each of the countries during the trip. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Photo: Rodger Bosch via Getty If no effective measures are taken, the country of 5.4 million people risks between 90,000 and 300,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day in early January, the FHI added. In addition, there will be stricter rules on public events, cultural life and organized leisure activities, among others. The move makes traveling to Norway more attractive for winter city breaks, Northern Lights safaris or ski trips. While travel restrictions remain in place, fully vaccinated European travelers can essentially visit Norway. Fully vaccinated travelers with a Covid-19 digital certificate that complies with EU standards can enter Norway without quarantine for tourism. However, travelers must self-test upon arrival at airports or within 24 hours if testing facilities are not available. “That`s why we need to act quickly and we need to act again,” he said. “We can ease some restrictions, but not all,” Jonas Gahr Stoere told a news conference. “We are still living through a pandemic. We therefore ask you to limit the number of close contacts.
This is a personal responsibility that every individual needs to think about,” Støre added. Some members of the delegation tested positive in Nigeria and returned directly to South Africa.