Happy May 17 Norway!

Over half will stay home in Norway on May 17 / 'July 15 is not a final date for travel restrictions in Sweden' / 'Everyone has to endure' / Total deaths in Sweden: 3,646 

  • Every May 17, Norwegians celebrate the country’s Constitution Day with an enthusiasm that makes America’s 4th of July look like a normal workday.
  • Over half will stay home in Norway on May 17
    Norway's National Day on May 17 is usually a big red-white-blue party throughout Norway. But this year's edition will probably be different because of the pandemic. More than half of the Norwegians, more or less 51 percent, believe they will stay home, according to a survey by the Norwegian corona monitor. The Norwegian authorities changed the guidelines on May 7 and now up to 20 people are allowed to meet in private. At public events, 50 people may be gathered. A more subdued celebration in Norway is thus expected this year. Here in the U.S. for instance the National Nordic Museum offers a virtual celebration, www.nordicmuseum.org and here's a link to the History of the 17th of May in Norway & Seattle

  • The advice on unnecessary travel in Sweden, which applies until July 15, 2020, is not 'a final date' according to State Epidemiologist Anders Tegnell.
  • 'July 15 is not a final date'
    Norway today announced that it will extend travel restrictions for international travel until August 20. In Sweden, the advice on unnecessary travel applies until July 15, 2020. The Swedish date is not a final date according to state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. He emphasizes that the crisis is far from over in Sweden. He further states that the country has not reached the level of 100,000 tests per week previously announced.

  • 'Everyone has to endure' says Mikael Damberg, Swedish Economic Development and Innovation Minister. Photo: Martina Huber/Government Offices of Sweden
  • 'Everyone has to endure'
    Everyone must continue to endure during the corona crisis, but also has to be prepared for "parallel events", such as fires, before the summer. This was stated by Interior Minister Mikael Damberg at a press conference following a meeting with the Crisis Management Council about the ongoing pandemic.

  • Sweden's higher death toll compared to neighboring countries is due to the amount of infected in elderly housing according to epidemiologist Anders Tegnell. "What we do in the country must have an effect," says State Epidemiologist Tegnell, "but the amount of deaths among elderly is troubling."
  • Total deaths in Sweden: 3,646
    Another 117 people in Sweden died from COVID-19 on May 15, according to the latest statistics from the Public Health Authority. A total of 3,646 people have died from the virus in the country at this point in time. The curve continues to look the same. “Our reproduction number is just under 1,” said Anders Tegnell, state epidemiologist at the Public Health Authority. The number of patients in intensive care is decreasing. "Today we are below 400. This is the first time since the beginning of April, and it is a decrease of almost 20 percent over the last week," according to a spokesperson on the National Board of Health and Welfare.