As of August 8, it was introduced national liquor ban after midnight.
As a result, police in several of the major cities have been put down by desperate neighbors complaining about noise from home parties.
Police chief for Bergen, Askøy and Øygarden, Morten Ørn, describes the atmosphere in the city center as a mixture of New Year’s Eve and the party island Magaluf in Spain.
– Incomprehensible
One of those who has expressed skepticism and criticism of the government’s national bar stop is FRP politician Sylvi Listhaug. After two weekends with closed taps at midnight, she is in no doubt.
– This is exactly what the FRP warned about. The only thing you achieve with early stop drinking is that the parties are moved to homes and other arenas where there is no control. It is incomprehensible that the government chooses to do it this way, when you see what consequences it has, Listhaug says to TV 2.
Night to Sunday ran it in with messages about party noise and disturbance of the night calm all over the country.
The police in Trøndelag received 86 such reports during the night. One of the private parties was finally reported.
Consequences for the police
Also in the west, the police had enough to hang their fingers on Sunday night.
From 11 pm on Saturday night until 3 am on Sunday, the West Police District received 53 reports of loud parties at private addresses.
Police Director Benedicte Bjørnland tells TV 2 that they wish they did not have to spend resources on such assignments.
– But in this serious situation with increasing infection, the whole society, including the police, must participate to reduce the spread of infection. In a preventive perspective, the police have effective authority to maintain peace and order both in the Police Act, local police statutes and in the Alcohol Act, says Bjørland.
The director of police is aware that the many telephone calls about party noise have consequences for the police.
– We want to use our resources on more serious and more prioritized crime than to look after adult people who party and do not follow infection advice. Party riots are prioritized, but there are many assignments we have that have a higher priority, therefore we can not move out to all reports of party riots. We wish we did not have to spend a lot of time stopping adults who disturb others at night, she says.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN AHEAD: Police Director Benedicte Bjørnland says they would rather have been apart of many of the assignments related to partying and noise. Photo: Tom Rune Orset / TV 2
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Listhaug is aware that one does not solve a problem by closing the nightclubs at 12. She believes the government must now turn around and return to normal pouring times.
– In the light of hindsight, the government should see that this was not so wise. It is not a defeat, but it is to do the only thing that is right, says the FRP politician.
Stuck on the decision
Minister of Health Bent Høie stands firm on the decision to introduce a national liquor ban, and believes that fewer people go to parties with shorter opening hours.
– It’s not what it looks like, because people rather go to nachspiel or home parties. The goal must be that we have as much follow-up as possible of the infection control rules, and that we achieve this in the safest possible way. FRP has no doubt that it happens at nightclubs, and not at home parties, says Listhaug.
However, Høie shares Listhaug’s concern about home parties.
– I am concerned about the extent of home parties. When there are many people gathered in small living rooms or in dormitories and a lot of alcohol, it is difficult to keep the one-meter rule. We have given advice on not having more than 20 together at home, but this presupposes that it should in any case be possible to keep a meter distance to those you do not live with. Few people live so that it is possible to have as many as 20 at a party and at the same time keep a meter away, says the Minister of Health to TV 2.
The government has announced that at the beginning of September they will make a new assessment of the infection control measures that have been introduced. Pouring times will also be an issue then.
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