Norway pauses final step in reopening, causing cancellation of festivals

Major festivals awaiting to take place in Norway will have to wait a little longer to return as the Norwegian government postponed the final step in their reopening process earlier this week. Back in April, the government introduced a four-step process to remove Covid-19 restrictions. While the first three steps have been completed, the government decided to suspend the last step due to the rise in cases caused by the new Delta variant of the virus.

The decision has caused festivals such as Bergenfest, Tons of Rock, Øya Festival, Over Oslo, Picnic in the Park, Stavernfetsivalen, Seljord Festival and Country Festival to cancel this year’s editions. There will be talks to continue reopening later in the month with expectations of fully opening the country later this year.

As of July, events that do not have seating can host a maximum of 1,500 people indoors and 3,000 people outdoors. However, events with seating can have a maximum of 3,000 people indoors and 7,000 outdoors. All events must divide attendees into sections of 500 people with a capacity not exceeding 50%.

Norway has had the lowest mortality rates in Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic due to early lockdowns and restrictions back in March 2020. They have recorded 80% of adults receiving the first dose of the vaccine, with over half of that (41%) being fully vaccinated, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Image Credit: Oya Festival/press