The Royal Court on Thursday morning issued a statement announcing that the Norwegian Royal Family will cancel all public events until Easter. This is due to the ongoing corona-virus outbreak.
The statement is as follows: “Based on the authorities’ advice and measures, the Royal Family will cancel or postpone all official events. In the first place, this applies until Easter. Ministers and other meetings resulting from the King’s constitutional role will be maintained.”
His Majesty King Harald has issued the following message to the Norwegian people:
“Our country is in a serious situation that affects individuals and society as a whole. It is crucial that we all participate in the national quest to avoid exposing ourselves or others to infection. It is therefore important that we all follow recommendations and orders from the authorities. We must contribute what we can to prevent the spread of the virus, and I would especially like to thank health professionals all over the country who are doing their utmost to remedy the situation these days. We all hope that developments will soon turn around.”
This news comes just days after Crown Prince Haakon opened a conference that was cancelled only hours later due to the coronavirus.
The situation in Norway is now considered to be serious. All schools and kindergartens will be closed. People are encouraged to stay home and most public gatherings have been cancelled. The health authorities are in emergency preparedness and people are encouraged to keep one meter distance between themselves and others. Norwegians are asked to prepare for a crisis that is described as the most devastating since World War II.
As of 12 March, among nations with at least one million citizens, Norway has the world’s third highest per capita rate of positive coronavirus cases at 117.9 cases per million people. The number of confirmed cases now stands at 632.
