Changes in the travel advice for the Czech Republic, France, Monaco and Switzerland

On the basis of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s assessment of the COVID-19 situation, the Government has decided to advise against non-essential travel to these countries. These countries are being changed from ‘green’ to ‘red’ on the map showing the status for quarantine on entry to Norway from Europe. From 8 August, anyone arriving in Norway from these four countries will be required to go into quarantine for 10 days.

Four new regions in Sweden are being excepted from the travel advice, but the regions of Skåne and Kronoberg are being changed from ‘green’ to ‘red’. As a result, anyone arriving from these two regions will once again be required to go into quarantine.

These changes will apply from midnight on Friday 7 August. See the website of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health for more information.

‘Unfortunately, the current trend in a number of European countries is moving in the wrong direction. This week, the Czech Republic, France, Monaco and Switzerland have all exceeded the threshold for level of infection, which has been set at 20 confirmed new COVID-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants during the past two weeks. The requirement to go into quarantine is being reintroduced for these countries, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is updating its travel advice accordingly,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

‘These developments confirm what the Government has maintained all along: that the infection situation and local restrictions can both change very quickly. Anyone planning to travel abroad should consider all the potential ramifications beforehand and make sure they know what the situation is in the country they are planning to visit,’ said Ms Eriksen Søreide.

‘People who have returned to Norway from a country that becomes ‘red’ after their return must monitor their health for symptoms of COVID-19. It is very important that they get themselves tested if they experience any symptoms, and that they practise good hand hygiene and maintain a distance of at least one metre from other people,’ said Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie. 

From 8 August, the global travel advice against all non-essential travel will apply to the following countries and regions in the Schengen area/EEA: Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Luxembourg, Monaco Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and certain regions in Sweden.

The Government is now excepting four new regions in Sweden from the advice against non-essential travel and the requirement to go into quarantine: Dalarna, Södermanland, Uppsala and Västerbotten. However, the trend for Skåne and Kronoberg has been reversed, and these two regions are being changed from ‘green’ back to ‘red’.

The following regions in Sweden are now ‘green’: Blekinge, Dalarna, Kalmar, Södermanland, Uppsala, Örebro, Östergötland, Värmland and Västerbotten.

The Institute of Public Health will update the list of countries and regions that satisfy the criteria set for infection levels at least once every two weeks. Updates may be made more frequently if the infection situation in a country or a region in a Nordic country deteriorates.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is maintaining its global advice against non-essential travel to all countries apart from those for which an exception has been made. This travel advice currently applies until 20 August.

For information about the countries in the Schengen area/EEA and the regions in the Nordic countries that are excepted from the travel advice, see the map on the Norwegian Institute of Public Health website and the Ministry’s travel information.  

More information is available on the government website.