On short notice, Sunday evening, His Majesty King Harald V of Norway held a live televised speech to the Norwegian people regarding the ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus. The speech was held at the Royal Lodge which lies just outside Oslo. This is where both King Harald and Queen Sonja have been in quarantine from Thursday of last week. Then, the Norwegian government decided to quarantine anyone who had arrived from other nations after 28 February to prevent further spread of the virus.
King Harald and Queen Sonja are not sick.
The full address from His Majesty stated the following:
Dear everyone,
We find ourselves in a situation that is both unreal, alien and frightening for all of us. We do not recognise our everyday life or the world around us. And yet we are only standing at the beginning of something we do not fully know the consequences of.
Uncertainty makes us vulnerable. The seriousness makes us anxious. The new everyday life can give us a feeling of powerlessness. Norway is affected along with the rest of the world. Now our most important task is to try to slow down the dramatic development, by following the orders given by the authorities.
We can be grateful that we have political leaders and professional authorities with the courage and knowledge to deal with the situation with honesty and realism. Norway is known as a society based on trust. Now there is a special need to show each other trust. Both to ensure that everyone takes responsibility for preventing the spread of infection. And for the country’s authorities to make good and wise decisions.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all now. With you who are sick and with you who are relatives of the sick. My thoughts and prayers are with health professionals all over the country, day and night. With those who are experiencing financial loss and fear for the future. To all of you who hold important social functions so that our country can function.
My thoughts and prayers are with all the children – who may be particularly anxious now – and whom we must take extra care of. And with those who feel the loneliness because our small and large communities are temporarily taken away from us. Finally, I would like to remind you that everyone needs some extra kindness during this time. Together we stand in this. And together we will be able to get through what lies ahead.
