NEWS

Norway will lift travel restrictions to and from European countries that meet criteria regarding their COVID-19 situation from July 15, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday.

Norway, which is not a member of the European Union but belongs to the passport-free Schengen travel zone, currently has some of the strictest travel restrictions in Europe.

“We must strike a balance that gives us the most possible safety with the least possible risk of infections,” Solberg told reporters.

From mid-July Norwegians will be able to travel to all countries in the European Economic Area or Schengen without undergoing a ten-day quarantine upon return – but only if these countries respect certain criteria set by Norwegian health authorities.

They include that the number of positive COVID-19 tests done in a country in the last 14 days is below 5% of total tests.