NORWAY. Oslo: Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg apologised again on Friday for breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules when organising a family gathering to celebrate her birthday, and said she would pay a fine of 20,000 crowns ($2,352). I’d like to say again that I’m sorry for breaking the coronavirus rules,” Solberg told Norway’s TV2 News. Norway’s PM is fined £1,700 for breaking her own COVID-19 restrictions with 60th birthday dinner at a ski resort town of Geilo in February. It is reported that 13 of the Prime Minister’s relatives dined together at a restaurant, which was followed up by her family had 14 people eating sushi in her home. Norway’s current rules limit people attending a private event in a public space to ten.
Erna Solberg was investigated after she and her family broke the country’s COVID-19 restrictions to celebrate her 60th birthday. The police released a statement that read: ‘Against the background of information that has surfaced through the press, together with the prime minister’s own statements, police have decided to initiate an investigation tied to a potential breach of the infectious disease regulation. The matter will then be evaluated by the prosecution authority in reference to a potential legal sanction.’
The reports that Solberg breached the restrictions immediately sparked a furor on social media with some calling for her resignation. ‘If the PRIME MINISTER, with hordes of advisors, can’t figure out the rules, it’s TOTALLY UNREASONABLE to expect the average person to do so,’ one user on Twitter railed.
Solberg issued an apology on her Facebook page. In a post, published on March 18, she wrote: ‘I am sorry that my family and I have broken the corona regulations, that should never have happened. We of course should have followed all the recommendations, as I have asked you to do.’
Solberg added: ‘I’m especially thinking of all those who have had to cancel things they have looked forward to, a birthday with classmates, a celebration with friends or anything else that is important. I understand those who get angry and disappointed over this. I have made a mistake and for that, I want to say I’m sorry.’
Read Also: BMC Warns Of Action For Flouting Norms Amid Rise In COVID-19 Cases
Comments are closed.