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When you are a close contact
Here you will find information and advice to close contacts and those who are in quarantine.
Here you will find information and advice to close contacts and those who are in quarantine.
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From 15.12.2021, there are changes in the COVID-19 regulations with the same rules for isolation and quarantine regardless of virus variant.
Advice for close contacts
- As a close contact you may have been infected with covid-19.
- You must go into quarantine if you live in the same household as someone who has covid-19.
- If you are an other close contact you are recommended to test yourself and to monitor if you get symptoms.
- All close contacts who get symptoms should stay at home and test themselves
- If your corona test shows that you are infected, you must notify your close contacts.
If you are defined as a close contact, you are basically healthy, but have been in a situation where you have been in enough close contact with a person with COVID-19 that you may have been infected.
A distinction is made between close contacts who are household members or are equivalently close to the person who is infected, such as a romantic partner or best friend, and other close contacts. For household members, a distinction is also made between vaccinated and unvaccinated. Close contacts will mainly be notified by the infected person.
Advice for household members or equivalently close
- If you are a household member or equivalently close (as a romantic partner or best friend), you are obliged to be quarantined for 10 full days. This also applies to children.
- You should take a test as soon as possible, and a test 7 full days after contact with the infected person. The quarantine can be ended by a negative test after 7 full days. The test can be a self-test, an antigen-rapid test (taken by a health professional) or PCR.
- If you live with one or more infected people and you can keep a complete distance, your quarantine days are counted from the time of last contact with the one who got sick last.
- In some cases it can be difficult to keep a complete distance if you live with one or more people who are infected and who need care. Most transmission occurs in the days before and after a person becomes ill. Therefore, the others in the house do not have to wait until the last person in the house has finished their isolation before counting 10 quarantine days. You can count contact on day 4 (with the last patient in the household), as the last exposure, and count 10 days from there. For those who live with one or more people who are isolated, a test to end the quarantine can be taken at the earliest 11 days (4 + 7) after the onset of the disease in the last patient in the household.
- If the persone who has been infected with COVID-19 shows no symptoms, quaratine days are counted from the the day this person took the test, no matter if you can keep a distance or not.
- A person who has been permitted to end their isolation period, and who lives with individuals who are still in isolation, does not need to be quarantined again.
- No force or medication should be used to perform testing.
- Children under the age of 16 should not be tested if it is disproportionately demanding to have the child tested.
- Children under school age are only recommended to test if they have symptoms, but if you want to shorten their quarantine period to 7 days, there must be a negative test first. Parents decide whether children should be tested.
- If you develop symptoms, you must stay home and be tested. This applies regardless of vaccination status.
- If you test positive, you must be in isolation and you must take a confirmatory test at a test centre. See When you are in isolation
- Quarantine duty does not apply to household members and equivalently close contacts who:
- Have had COVID-19 in the last 3 months
- Have had a booster dose (after fuThere is separate advice for people who work in the health and care service (in Norwegian):ll vaccination) at least 1 week ago and test daily with a rapid antigen test or every other day with PCR for 7 days after contact. If you are unable to keep a distance from the person who has been infected, get tested on day 4 and 7 after the infected person got sick.
Advice for other close contacts
- You are considered an "other close contact" if you have been in contact with the infected person from two days before they had symptoms or two days before positive test if they have no symptoms, AND you have been closer than 2 meters for more than 15 minutes.
- You are not obliged to quarantine.
- You are recommended to test day 3 and 5 after the last close contact. The tests can be self-tests, rapid tests taken by healthcare professionals or PCR tests.
- If you have had a corona infection in the last 3 months or are part of a regular testing programme, you do not need to follow these test recommendations.
- You should monitor your state of health and whether you experience symptoms for 10 days. Everyone should have a low threshold to test themselves for mild symptoms.
- If you take a self-test that turns out to be positive, you must be in isolation and you should take a confirmatory test at the test centre. See When you are in isolation
- Children under school age are only recommended testing if htey have symptoms. Parents decide whether children should be tested.
- Children under the age of 16 should not be tested if it is disproportionately demanding to have a test taken.
- Testing should not be forced, or induced by the use of medication.
See description of what is meant by fully vaccinated here:
There is separate advice for those working in the healthcare service:
- Testing og tiltak for ansatte i helse- og omsorgstjenesten (In Norwegian)
For further advice about children and adolescents, see:
Advice when you are in infection quarantine
If you do not have a permanent residence, or a suitable place for quarantine, the municipality you are staying in can help you find such a place. This may also apply to people without legal residence / undocumented migrants.
More information about health care for people without legal residence can be found at Helsenorge.no:
When you are in quarantine, the following applies:
- You should test yourself as described above under advice for household members and equivalently close.
- You should keep a safe distance from older children and other adults. For children and people in need of health care, their need for care must be given the highest priority.
- Avoid home visits.
- Do not go to work or other activities outside the home, unless you are exempt from quarantine during working hours in accordance with the Covid-19 regulations.
- Do not take longer domestic trips.
- Do not use public transport.
- You can go for a walk outside, but keep at least 2 metres away from others.
- You should avoid places where it is difficult to keep your distance.
- You should not visit public places, such as shops. In the absence of alternatives, you can carry out essential errands in a shop or pharmacy - but make sure to keep a sufficient distance to others, wear a face mask and avoid queues.
- Be aware of your own symptoms. If you get an acute respiratory tract infection with fever, cough, lose your sense of taste or smell, or have other symptoms of COVID-19 while you are in quarantine, you are considered to be probably infected with COVID-19. Then you should be tested as soon as possible and isolate yourself until test results are available. If you test positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period, you must be in isolation, and you must inform your close contacts. If you need assistance, contact the infection tracing team in your district or municipality. With a negative test, quarantine continues as planned.
Suitable locations for quarantine
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The most important requirement for accommodation to be considered suitable for spending quarantine is that you must be able to maintain a safe distance from other adults and older children throughout the entire quarantine period.
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For those with a permanent residence in Norway, it is normal to spend quarantine at home. If you live with others but do not have much space, you can get help to find a suitable place.
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Halls of residence/shared housing can be suitable accommodation if it is possible to keep a distance to other adults and older children. You should use communal areas as little as possible.
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Student housing made available by the Student Association is probably not suitable as quarantine accommodation. Student housing belonging to Student Associations must be assessed under the exception in Section 5 fourth paragraph (a), which stipulates requirements for private rooms with their own toilet and kitchen, in order for the student to be able to complete their quarantine in student housing.
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Overnight accommodation where you need to interact with other guests is not suitable for quarantine use. Staying in a motorhome, caravan, tent or cabin on campsite without a private bathroom/toilet and kitchen facilities is not acceptable for quarantine if you have to share these facilities with people other than your close contacts/travel companions. The same applies to staying at addresses where you have to share rooms/facilities with people other than those you normally live with, such as halls of residence and other accommodation with a shared bathroom or kitchen.
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Barracks may be suitable as accommodation, provided that you have a private room with your own bathroom/toilet/kitchen, or you have organised food delivery. See below regarding the organisation of adapted accommodation for quarantine use where many people live together.
- Quarantine hotel service for visitors to Norway who need a suitable place to quarantine (dsb.no)
Infection control advice for places of quarantine where many live together
Here are some points to consider when arranging accommodation where many people are to spend their quarantine period, e.g. quarantine hotels. Legal and financial conditions concerning such stays are provided by the Norwegian Directorate of Health.
Risk assessment
Anyone who is responsible for accommodation for people in quarantine should carry out a risk assessment of the facilities and adapt the conditions to ensure adequate infection control. The risk assessment of the accommodation must cover the following:
- Which areas are suitable for those who are to be quarantined.
- How current infection control measures will be observed (social distance requirements, hand hygiene/cough etiquette, ventilation in the room, food serving, handling of laundry and waste).
- Plan for the wearing of face masks for people in quarantine and protective equipment.
- Action plan if quarantined people or employees become ill with COVID-19.
The manager/employer at the accommodation must ensure that their employees are aware of the organisation and responsibilities associated with those who are in quarantine.
The Municipal Medical Officer has medical responsibility for those who are to be quarantined in their municipality.
In collaboration with the person responsible for the accommodation, the Municipal Medical Officer must establish routines that protect employees against infection.
Social distancing requirements
Assess the need for the marking of corridors and communal areas and whether there is a need to put up notices concerning social distancing requirements.
Hand hygiene
Hand hygiene facilities must be available where people in quarantine spend time and in other communal areas where appropriate.
Written information should be prepared concerning when and how hand hygiene should be practised by both people in quarantine and staff.
Protective equipment for employees
There is no routine need for the use of protective equipment.
However, the manager/employer should carry out a risk assessment of the need to use protective equipment (face masks, gloves, overalls, visors) and establish routines for their use. Employees must have received training on how to use protective equipment and in which situations it is required.
Systems must also be established for the purchase and suitable storage of protective equipment.
Food service
People in quarantine must eat in their room and must not use communal dining rooms or buffet service. Food should be served in the room by placing the serving tray on a table outside the room. Employees should knock and then move away from the door area.
In the room, written information must be provided indicating that used serving trays should be placed outside the door after use. Employees must transport the serving trays to the areas where they are will be cleaned
Laundry
Existing routines for handling used linen, etc. should be reviewed, both with regard to internal routines and in connection with agreements with external laundry services.
People in quarantine should change their bed linen and put dirty linen, etc. in the collection bag which must be provided in the room. In the room, written information must be available stating which linen, etc. the person in quarantine can place in the bag (e.g. that personal clothing cannot be placed in the bag) and that full bags must be tied up and placed outside the door.
Employees must transport the bags to the laundry or other storage area, separated from other objects until washing.
Waste management
Existing waste routines should be reviewed to ensure adequate infection control.
People in quarantine should place rubbish in a refuse bag which must be provided in the room. In the room, written information must be provided stating that full refuse bags must be tied up and placed outside the door.
Employees must transport the bags to the appropriate waste containers.
Cleaning / disinfection of the room
Quarantined people should clean their own room using disposable cloths.
For the accommodation, it is sufficient to clean the room at the end of the quarantine period. Follow existing cleaning routines, in addition to enhanced cleaning of surfaces that are frequently touched.
People in quarantine
People in quarantine must be given information about infection control measures, including:
- The need to keep your distance.
- Hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Regularly ventilate the room if possible.
- Wear a face mask if the employee must enter the room or when moving.
- What to do if they become ill.
- Healthcare personnel from the municipality should preferably follow up those who are in quarantine.
- It is not recommended that employees enter the rooms of anyone who is in quarantine. If employees must enter the room, the person in quarantine must ventilate the room first, put on a face mask and keep their distance.
- Employees must consider whether there is a need to use protective equipment if distance cannot be maintained.
- The person who is in quarantine should not mix with other people. Visits should be postponed until the infection status has been clarified. Information on how people in quarantine should behave can be found under Advice for people in quarantine.
- Routines if someone in quarantine or an employee becomes ill
- Via the manager/employer at the accommodation, the Municipal Medical Officer must establish routines which explain how both the person who is in quarantine and employees at the accommodation are to respond if the person develops COVID-19 symptoms.
Public transport when you are in entry quarantine
If you are in entry quarantine, you should normally avoid using public transport, and must never use it if you have COVID-19 symptoms. You may use public transport to reach your quarantine accommodation within or outside Norway.
With the permission of the municipal medical officer, people in infection quarantine can, as an exception, use public transport to reach a suitable quarantine place in Norway.
For these journeys with public transport whilst you are in quarantine, the following apply:
- Take the quickest route.
- Face masks must be worn during the entire journey in these cases, except for children under 12 years. Wear the recommended type of face mask and follow the advice concerning correct use.
- Be particularly careful about maintaining good hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Try to avoid departures where it is not possible to keep at least one metre distance. Use pre-booked/registered seats where possible.
- If you must stay overnight on the way, use pre-booked accommodation in accordance with the requirements and recommendations applying to quarantine.
See also: