Norway to introduce Covid-19 vaccine certificates to attend events, before EU-compatible version rolled out

The Norwegian prime minister has said the country will bring in Covid vaccine passports, which will allow holders to attend events before the government brings in EU-compliant certificates later that month.

“With such a certificate, we can … open our society more, and quicker,” Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference on Wednesday, adding that the plan was to introduce the scheme in early June. 

“Here in Norway, we envisage that it can be used for public events, cruises, and package tours,” Solberg was quoted as saying by local media. 

She said the government wanted to use the Covid-19 passport for more purposes than those that had been recommended by the Norwegian Directorate of Health, and a proposal for consultation had been launched on Wednesday. 

The PM noted that another vaccine passport, compatible with the EU’s scheme, would be rolled out in late June. The country is not part of the 27-nation bloc, but participates in the Schengen travel zone.

To date, only a quarter of the total population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with just 6.8% receiving two doses. As a result, it is likely that most people will not benefit from the scheme when it is launched.

Norway’s immigrant population has reportedly been especially hesitant to get vaccinated. Asked by a journalist about this, the prime minister said it was important that everyone was inoculated to protect themselves and others in society.

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