Bent Hoye has been a calm and reassuring presence during the corona crisis, appearing daily on radio and television, gently but firmly urging Norwegians to follow the instructions of his Ministry of Health. Behind the scenes things were never calm, but now the former Norwegian health minister is writing a book about it.
“In fact, the health minister was more worried than ever,” his publisher, Gyldendal, wrote in promoting a book co-authored with Jorunn Litland. The title of the new book also contains that anxiety, URO i koronaens tid (anxiety in the corona era), will be released next week.
Hoye, long a top Conservative politician, is now governor of his home county of Rogaland on Norway’s west coast. Since the coronavirus first emerged as a potential threat in early 2020, forcing Norwegians to impose the most aggressive measures since World War II, he and his fellow government colleagues It took me a while to digest what I was going through.
Hoye felt the need to explain what it was like to be part of the effort to lead Norway through the crisis over the next 18 months. He and his colleagues describe the fear they felt about the “hard hunt” for anti-infection materials and especially vaccines, whether it was too late to shut down the country. He expressed his uncertainty about how afraid he and other colleagues were of disintegrating themselves, and whether the calm appearances of both him and former Prime Minister Erna Solberg were actually the best approach. Reveal your gender.
“Introduction, There were two things that made me even more uneasy: whether our measures were taken quickly enough and whether they were appropriate,” Hoye told the newspaper. Doug Savisen Earlier this summer while still working on the book. The days leading up to Solberg’s historic press conference on March 12, 2020 were filled with uncertainty, followed by a pressing need for protective clothing, hospital space and vaccines. The latter was to be provided by her EU, with neighboring Sweden playing a major role on behalf of Norway, as Norway is not a member of her EU.
His own feared “collapse” came later, he said. “We knew this crisis would drag on. “I felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders. I received a lot of feedback from people saying that the calm look I drew meant a lot to people’s overall sense of security. was.”
He thanks his partners for their maximum support. “That was the most important thing.”
Solberg, Høie, and other governments have earned accolades for how they managed the crisis, and Norway has fared unusually well, with relatively low deaths per capita. The hospital system withstood the pressure and most Norwegians expressed trust in the government and state health administrators and followed the rules. The state commission also concluded that the government was able to strike a balance between protecting the most vulnerable members of the population and protecting the lives and health of people without imposing the toughest measures.
“Economy recovered rapidly.” Hoye said he remained steadfast despite facing another crisis: Russia’s war against Ukraine. With massive oil and gas price increases, it is actually literally fueling the Norwegian economy.
Nonetheless, Solberg’s government lost elections last fall, prompting comments about how Winston Churchill lost the election after leading Britain to victory in World War II. Already had a new job as county governor, the loss of which was heartbreaking.
When asked if she ever thought they should have something different, Hoye said the burden on children and young people is too heavy. He and other officials also regretted banning visits to the villa during the first Corona Easter. and the new ban was not enforced.
“It was also important to maintain a sense of humor.” Hoye became known for brandishing a yardstick when explaining that people should keep their distance from each other. Hui said Doug Saviseneven in serious situations.
He insisted he didn’t mind having to answer the same questions over and over again, and stressed the importance of explaining the reasons for the unpopular measures.
The majority of Norwegians are now protected by vaccinations carried out by local programs, which are mostly working well, Høie said. There are still infections among Norwegians, but the consequences of getting sick with a new variant of the coronavirus are less severe than they were two years ago.
Hoye isn’t the only one to write a book about the corona crisis and how it was dealt with. He claims he’s not on the defensive, he just wanted to offer his version of the crisis from which many are still recovering.
newsinenglish.no/Nina Berglund
