Why Norway Is Banning its Residents From Their Own Vacation Homes

Don’t even think about socially isolating from coronavirus in a vacation home. This was the message from Norway’s government this weekend, as the global coronavirus pandemic started to spread across the country. Prime Minister Erna Solberg spoke Saturday to order urbanites holed up in rural cabins to return to their regular homes in the cities. On Monday, the government doubled down, warning that anyone not staying at their home address faced a fine of 20,000 Norwegian Crowns ($1,952) or 15 days in jail.

The penalties are harsh, but there is reasoning behind them. Summer houses are extremely common across Scandinavia, while the permanent population of many rural areas is small and often thinly spread. Picturesque areas such as Hallingdal, a mountain valley halfway between Norway’s two largest cities, have wildly fluctuating populations, with only 21,000 residents in winter but 120,000 in summer.