Norway prime minister violates COVID rules, was fined with Rs 20,000

OSLO: Norway prime minister Erna Solberg was fined by the Norwegian police today for violating COVID-19 social distancing rules when she hosted a family party to celebrate her birthday.

The fine is 20,000 Norwegian crowns (Rs 2,352), according to police chief Ole Saeverud.

Despite a government ban on gatherings of more than ten people, the two-term prime minister apologised last month for hosting a party for her 60th birthday with 13 family members at a mountain resort in late February.

Although most such cases may not have resulted in a fine, police said the prime minister has been at the forefront of the government's efforts to enforce restrictions.

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"Even though the law is the same for everybody, everyone is not fair in front of the law," Saeverud explained in justifying the fine.

"It is therefore necessary to impose a fine in order to maintain the public's trust in the rules on social controls," he said.

According to police, Solberg and her partner, Sindre Finnes, decided to hold a celebration together and chose the restaurant, with Finnes handling the arrangements.

Despite the fact that he had already violated the rule, he was not fined. The restaurant where the party was held was also found to have violated the rules but was not charged.

"As the country's leader, Solberg has been at the forefront of the restrictions placed to limit the virus's spread," Saeverud said.

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Solberg, who faces parliamentary elections in September, has pushed for stringent regulations to stop the coronavirus from spreading, resulting in some of Europe's lowest infection and death rates.

However, in the first quarter of 2021, the country saw a sharp increase in infections, owing to more infectious virus variants, prompting the government to tighten restrictions in late March.

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