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The entire country of Norway is 'shutting down'

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images

If you think things have gotten bad in the United States — where St. Patricks Day parades have been canceled, and the NBA is suspended for the rest of the season — just wait until you hear about Norway. Starting Thursday, the small Nordic country announced "measures that will be the most extensive Norway's population has experienced in peacetime," and which involve practically shutting down the entire country in order to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Norwegian Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie told the national broadcaster, NRK.
In addition to kindergartens, child care facilities, schools, and universities closing nationwide, and a ban on both professional and amateur sports — measures that have been taken only regionally so far in the U.S. — the entire country of Norway is also requiring all hairdressers, massage clinics, gyms, and tattoo parlors to close, Life in Norway and Swedish journalist Peter Imanuelsen report based off the announcement on NRK. Cultural events are also banned, with museums, pools, and libraries additionally closing. While grocery stores will remain open, restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs are required to close if they can't guarantee a three-foot distance between patrons. Buffets, naturally, are banned.
Additionally, everyone entering Norway from anywhere other than another Nordic country will be required to be home-quarantined, regardless of symptoms — one of the most drastic measures taken in Europe so far. Healthcare professionals are no longer allowed to travel abroad, and the country is encouraging its citizens traveling abroad to return home at once.

Oslo-based Twitter user Cathrine Wilhelmsen emphasized that "Norway is shutting down … this is serious." The country faces one of the worst outbreaks in Europe, with some 632 positive cases as of Thursday morning. "It is extremely important that people follow this advice," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said. "To be able to curb this, we need everyone to come together." Jeva Lange
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This is a world wide event. All government leaders will decide for themselves what they do.
As time passes it will be easier to look back and more objectively judge how well they did.

The best thing for all of us, is for people that are sick to stay home. If we did this, the tens of thousands of Influenza A deaths each year would be a lot less. We could cut the incidents of the common colds from spreading.
 
An article from a talented AP writer in Italy (full disclosure its my first cousin) about how life has transformed there as the virus progressed....possibly a sign of things to come in other countries but hopefully not...

https://apnews.com/70fbbbae2adf2e0e070170f0033149b1
Italy’s lockdown reshapes family life in time of coronavirus
By COLLEEN BARRY
yesterday

SOAVE, Italy (AP) — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte’s decision to lock down the entire country brought some welcome clarity to my family life after weeks of growing uncertainty about how to behave in a time of coronavirus.

I live that stereotype of the multi-generational Italian family, next door to in-laws, both over 80 and suffering from a collection of non-debilitating ailments common for their age. I also live with two teenagers, one of whom in particular has chafed against any suggestion that his social life should be curtailed just when the virus has freed him from that age-old adolescent burden: school.

So as I continued to commute to my job as an Associated Press correspondent based in Milan, the capital of Lombardy, from a small town in neighboring Veneto, the virus seemed both near and far.
Near, because the two regions were quickly identified as hot spots with growing numbers of infections and two so-called red zones — but far, because no one we knew was sick, and many of the restrictions were still theoretical. They boiled down to frequent hand-washing.

Virus fear escalated in mid-February as I covered Milan Fashion Week, shoulder-to-shoulder with fashion types from all over the globe, and where the closing show by Giorgio Armani was streamed without an audience as a precaution. But the closest cluster — not yet a red zone — was still an hour away.

As the first restrictions took effect in Veneto and Lombardy — closing schools, museums, cinemas and bars after 6 p.m. — we scoffed at the reactive panic shopping. What were people doing with all that toilet paper? We had flour and pasta aplenty at home. And who needs a shopping cart full of bottled water? The taps weren’t being turned off.
The first day of the new measures was supposed to be the start of a three-day family break for Carnival in Nice, on the coast in neighboring France. But our sociable son woke up with a fever and stomach flu symptoms, and we decided it was better not to chance crossing the border as Italy became a focal point in coronavirus coverage.
Normally we would have gone, stomach flu or not, and instructed the teen to sleep in the car, reasoning that the sea air would do him good. The painful decision to cancel seemed particularly wise after hearing reports of Italian cars being stopped in France for temperature checks. Imagine being found out transporting a feverish 16-year-old: the personal horror, the probable headlines

Back at work, I wrote about social distancing, about how Italians’ habit of kissing could be part of the problem, before the 1-meter (yard) distancing rule started to gain currency. At home, we began a weeks-long struggle to impress upon invincible youth how vulnerable the elderly are to the virus.
I compensated for our dashed holiday by taking my daughter spring clothes shopping in teen-focused stores where we no longer had to queue for dressing rooms. We ate out in empty restaurants. We had facials. We had to order ice cream at a table, not at the counter. It was the same when we wanted a quick refreshment after 6 p.m. — sit at a table, don’t just stand at the bar.
Cities were empty, parking places too easy to find, but we didn’t feel particularly discouraged to be out. In fact, a hashtag began to circulate: #milanononsiferma, or #milandoesntstop. By being out -- as long as we washed our hands frequently -- we were doing our civic duty.

Then virus cases skyrocketed, with Italy registering the most infections outside of China. My in-laws stopped going to the grocery store, instead ordering online. And they stopped kissing their grandchildren every morning and evening, as has been their habit.
Finally, my children got remote homework assignments, and teachers started organizing video classes — even if the app sometimes failed. The notion of a holiday was over.

Then this past weekend, we saw the red zone expand from two distant dots on the map — east and west — to provinces just 30 minutes each direction. A Sunday family dinner with my kids’ four cousins -- who are also going stir-crazy with no school — was canceled by the new travel ban out of Lombardy.
Also scratched were my plans to hop over on a free day and see Venice in its newfound quiet after a hotel owner with zero rooms booked because of the virus described the glassy surface of the Grand Canal absent boats transporting Venetians and their wares.
Finally, on Monday evening, the red ink of the restricted travel zone soaked through the entire map of Italy, which had become one big hot spot. The same day, the first confirmed case was announced on Facebook by the mayor of our town. Suddenly, the virus was just near. And Conte declared the new Italian motto: ’’I stay at home.″
When I told my son, standing at his Playstation, about the national lockdown until April 3, he looked dejected. ’’How many days is that? What am I going to do for a month?” But for the first time in three weeks, he accepted he couldn’t go out that night.
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Irvine511 said:
Imagine it’s 1985 and you are a gay man in NYC and these are the names of your close friends.

Imagine that the words “tested positive” was a death sentence. A likely messy, painful death.

Now imagine some people being happy about it, and imagine the administration literally laughing about it.

https://www.vox.com/2015/12/1/9828348/ronald-reagan-hiv-aids
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It's concerning how few people know about this, or, with younger people, about HIV/AIDS at all. It came up with my younger high school students a few weeks ago, and the questions they were asking suggested they had never even heard of it.

I saw an exhibition in New York City a few years back by a photojournalist who had documented the 80s AIDS crisis there. It was one of the most harrowing things I have ever seen.
 
I work at a large state university. As of a few days ago they were "monitoring the situation" and asked faculty to start preparing to teach their classes remotely. The chancellor just sent out an email, stating that next week's classes are cancelled. The following week is spring break. After spring break, all classes will be taught remotely for the rest of the semester. The campus will remain open, but they're asking all out-of-state students to return home if possible.

I'm the piano technician for the school of music - have no idea if recitals will be cancelled or not (most student recitals are well under 50 people in attendance, if not half that), or how they're going to handle finals for music majors (which typically require performing pieces in front of a faculty jury) if they're also asking out-of-state residents to return home. I also tune for a performing arts center attached to campus that hosts broadway productions and big name artists regularly, and a few days ago they sent out an email saying they had no plans to cancel performances, but I imagine that might change now that the campus is taking drastic measures. Thankfully they're not shutting down the campus, otherwise I'd be unable to work and would eat through sick/vacation time pretty quickly.
 
My work has gone to work-from-home starting tomorrow, indefinitely. The reasoning is we cannot control the large % of employees who are or will be travelling for spring break. I would be surprised if I am back in the office before Easter.
 
anitram said:
My work has gone to work-from-home starting tomorrow, indefinitely. The reasoning is we cannot control the large % of employees who are or will be travelling for spring break. I would be surprised if I am back in the office before Easter.
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Has this affected your vacation plans?

I’m still assuming I’m going to be able to fly on Monday.
 
I'm going out to the Black Hills and Badlands next week. I'm assuming that's fine given how desolate those areas are.
 
Irvine511 said:
Has this affected your vacation plans?

I’m still assuming I’m going to be able to fly on Monday.
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It comes down to personal choice. The area where we are going to is not affected so you have to weigh the benefits vs drawbacks. I am not, nor was ever concerned about contracting it (healthy adults/kids), the concern is more that you end up quarantined abroad and that sucks.

They have now shut down all schools in Ontario until April 5 - for the same reason. Most people will be traveling and they want everyone to self-isolate after returning. Since these broad measures are being taken anyway, we're all going to be quarantined one way or another.
 
I received an email from Showcase Cinemas, the theater I always go to is a Showcase. In addition to all the cleaning and sanitizing they say they're doing they're decreasing theater capacity by 50% to allow space between patrons. Obviously a big hit for them financially, hopefully they haven't raised ticket or concession prices. Better than no people in the theaters.

It also said that anyone who is coughing or displaying other symptoms will be asked to leave.
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
I received an email from Showcase Cinemas, the theater I always go to is a Showcase. In addition to all the cleaning and sanitizing they say they're doing they're decreasing theater capacity by 50% to allow space between patrons. Obviously a big hit for them financially, hopefully they haven't raised ticket or concession prices. Better than no people in the theaters.

It also said that anyone who is coughing or displaying other symptoms will be asked to leave.
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So you get a little piece of that popcorn kernel skin caught in the back of your throat, cough and suddenly you don't get to find out if The Rock and Jack Black make it out of Jumanji in one piece?
 
Hewson said:
So you get a little piece of that popcorn kernel skin caught in the back of your throat, cough and suddenly you don't get to find out if The Rock and Jack Black make it out of Jumanji in one piece?
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That's right, no Jumanji for you! I think it would have to be obvious constant coughing. Someone would have to report it too. I miss going to the movies, but I think it will be a while before I go back. I still enjoy going to a theater, in spite of non virus annoyances.
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
That's right, no Jumanji for you! I think it would have to be obvious constant coughing. Someone would have to report it too. I miss going to the movies, but I think it will be a while before I go back. I still enjoy going to a theater, in spite of non virus annoyances.
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Yeah I like going to the theater also, and the kid wants to see Onward. Just don't know about going currently. Maybe a matinee with a tiny crowd so we can sit with nobody in the vicinity.
 
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