Travel for non-essential purposes in all countries except the European Union, Switzerland and the United Kingdom is strongly discouraged, as the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has extended advice against non-essential travel until 1 October.
On 5 July, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) recommended the abolition of the travel ban for several third countries, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the countries of the European Union, countries considered to be at low epidemiological risk.
The third countries on Norway's purple list are:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Arabia saudita
- Singapore
- Taiwan
Third countries that have been excluded from travel advice, despite not meeting NIPH requirements:
- Albania
- Azerbaijan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Canada
- Israel
- Japan
- Kosovo
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Northern Macedonia
- Qatar
- Serbia
- South Korea
- Ukraine
- United States
The country has decided to gradually lift travel restrictions, initially removing travel advice for the European Union, the Schengen Area and the United Kingdom, starting on 5 August.
In a press release issued by the Norwegian authorities, the Minister of Foreign Affairs - Ine Eriksen Søreide - said that due to the epidemiological situation, travel advice must remain effective.
Moreover, World Health Organization data show that Norway has not reported Coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours. However, 357 people tested positive for the virus. Since the pandemic began, approximately 814 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 and 153.528 have been infected.
Regarding the vaccination campaign, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals that about 56.6% of Norwegians are fully vaccinated, while 87% received only the first dose of the vaccine.
Recently, the Norwegian authorities have extended the validity of internal recovery certificates from 6 to 12 months, allowing travelers who have been infected with the virus to be exempted from quarantine requirements.