When does quarantine or isolation apply?

Everyone should be further apart than usual now. This is to avoid infection. Those who may be infected with the coronavirus but are not sick should be quarantined. People who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus should be in isolation.

Outside the home

When you are away from home or at work, it is important to stay away from others and wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. This includes washing your hands before you go out, immediately after returning home and before eating. Also, try to avoid touching your face.

Those who are healthy and live together can spend time together as usual. This also applies to children in divorced families, but you should avoid greetings, kissing and hugging other people.

If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, stay home until one day has passed after you recover. Those you live with may still leave, but they need to keep track of their own symptoms. This also applies to healthcare professionals.

Why should someone with symptoms of a respiratory infection stay home for 24 hours after the symptoms have cleared?

There will be a large group that has symptoms of respiratory infections. Norway is testing a lot for COVID-19, but so far only about 5 percent of all those tested have had the coronavirus. In other words, there are many people with respiratory infections whose symptoms are caused by something other than coronavirus disease. Therefore, it is generally recommended that this entire group stay home for one day after the symptoms have resolved.

Home Quarantine

Quarantine is divided into two groups:

• If you are traveling abroad, you must be quarantined for 14 days from the day you return home.
• If you've been in close contact with someone diagnosed with the coronavirus, you should be in home quarantine. Close contact means contact with an infected person who is less than two meters away for more than 15 minutes, or direct physical contact. Quarantine must last at least 14 days from the date of contact.

If you live with an isolated person with a detected coronavirus, you should remain in quarantine until the patient is in isolation, at least 14 days after quarantine begins.

If you are tested for coronavirus during an quarantineand the result of this test is negative, you should end the quarantine period of 14 days.

The Institute of Public Health is updating information on testing for coronavirus .

Company management may make exceptions to the quarantine obligation for people who are absolutely necessary to maintain the proper functioning of vital and health functions. By functions related to life and health are meant, inter alia

• health and care protection services
• security works (readiness of the police, fire brigade and rescue)
• top management of critical social functions

The exception does not apply during free time, only during work or while traveling to work with anything other than public transport. They should, as far as possible, avoid close contact with other people.

House insulation

You should be isolated if you've detected the coronavirus

You are isolated at home, possibly in a health facility or elsewhere if necessary.