Norwegian authorities have said that travelers from Kosovo, Ukraine and northern Macedonia, who have so far been allowed to enter Norway with special entry purposes, are no longer allowed.
The decision was announced on Friday, August 13, and will take effect on Monday, August 16. This means that starting next week, the following categories of travelers who have so far been allowed to enter Norway from Kosovo, Ukraine and Northern Macedonia may no longer do so:
- adult children and stepsons of Norwegian citizens
- parents and stepfathers of adult children / stepsons of Norwegian citizens
- grandfathers and stepfathers of Norwegian citizens
- grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Norwegian citizens
- boyfriends and girlfriends of Norwegian citizens – the relationship had to last at least nine months, and the parties had to meet each other earlier
The decision was made after an increase in the number of coronavirus infections recently detected in all three third countries, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to the World Health Organization, a total of 1,009 cases of the disease have been reported in Kosovo in the last 24 hours, with a population of 1.873 million people. In Ukraine, where a total of 44.39 million people live, 1263 cases of the disease have been registered, and in Northern Macedonia, where 2.077 million people live, 639 new cases of COVID-19 infection have been registered.
Due to the increase in the number of cases, Finland has also decided to reintroduce a travel ban for travelers from Kosovo and northern Macedonia, starting on Monday, 16 August.
The Norwegian government has also imposed additional entry restrictions for several EU countries, including Bulgaria, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Austria.
At the same time, quarantine is introduced in five new regions of Sweden – Jämtland, Södermanland, Uppsala (they change color from green to orange), Västerbotten and Västmanland, as well as in two regions of Finland – SVD Southern Ostrobothnia and SVD Vaasa.
Travelers from the EU / EEA who have been fully vaccinated or have covid-19 in the last six months are exempt from all travel restrictions if they can prove it with a valid Norwegian / Swedish / Danish certificate or an NHS Covid passport from England or Wales with a QR code that can be verified by the Norwegian authorities.