Spitsbergen’s corona immunisation schedule is making good progress. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has not yet been locally recorded, which is almost surprising as there have been plenty of infections in mainland Norway and tourists are regularly coming from there. It seems to be common that they think that the mandatory use of face masks, for example in shops, does not apply to them.
The government in Oslo is well aware of Spitsbergen’s remote location, which would cause massive problems in case of a local Covid-19 breakout. The local hospital is not prepared to take care of corona patients, and evacuating patients to the mainland involves a huge logistical effort. Norway has thus decided to give Spitsbergen priority within the national corona immunisation schedule. This applies not only to Longyearbyen, but also to the other settlements, such as Barentsburg, Ny-Ålesund and the research station in Hornsund.
“You shall not pass!”
Longyearbyen’s strategy against the corona virus, and the whole world’s.
Not Spitsbergen, but another fantastic world. Author’s work based on a drawing by Gonzalo Kenny (the original scene in “The Lord of the Rings” involves a slightly larger, highly “inflammable” virus 🙂 )
More than 1400 persons have already been vaccinated in Spitsbergen, including about 90 who have already got full protection with two required injections, as Svalbardposten reports. Today (Thursday, 06 May), another 500 persons are to get their vaccination. This means that a large proportion of Spitsbergen’s adult population will soon be vaccinated at least once.
As everywhere in the world, this involves hopes for increased personal safety and the chance to return to normal life. As of now, it is not known when this will come for international travelling. The government in Oslo has announced to make relevant decisions in May. Norway does also take part in the European project of a digital vaccination certificate, which is scheduled to be available from late June. But it will be every government’s individual decision what kind of options owners of such a document will have, such as entry to a country for non-essential purposes or participating in a ship-based voyage. But it certainly appears as a reasonal possibility that acknowledged documentation of a corona vaccination may contribute to such opportunities.