OREANDA-NEWS. Norway plans to introduce restrictive measures from December 1 to contain the spread of the new COVID-19 strain omicron, Norwegian media reported on Tuesday, citing a statement from Prime Minister Jonas Gar Støre.

Støre, speaking before the country's parliament, said the government is introducing a national recommendation to use masks in public transport, taxis, shops and malls where distance is impossible.

It also recommends regularly conducting PCR tests among schoolchildren in those cities and towns where the level of infection is increasing and where there is a high workload of health services.

In addition, the government is urging municipalities to consider moving more workers to telecommuting whenever possible.

Støre stressed that the government does not consider these measures to be radical. He stressed that the virus will not disappear anywhere in the coming months, and therefore it is necessary to adapt to the current situation. “We have to live with it and keep the situation under control,” he said.

The possibility of a lockdown in Norway is not being considered, the media noted. Støre did not say this directly, but made it clear that the ministers considered this measure excessive. According to him, the lockdown in the past has cost too much both from the point of view of the economy and from the point of view of the mental health of people.

Norway lifted its previous restrictions in September, when the number of infections in the country dropped sharply. However, due to the spread of the new omicron strain in the world, the government has decided on new measures.