Posted: Posted September 26, 2021 / 07:00 AM CDT / Has been updated: September 26, 2021 / 07:00 AM CDT

Helsinki (AP) —Norwegian police fought a major brawl in a large Scandinavian country on Sunday after streets, bars, restaurants and nightclubs were filled with people celebrating the end of the COVID-19 limit. Reported dozens of uproars and violent clashes, including.

The Norwegian government suddenly announced on Friday that most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions would be lifted from Saturday, returning the lives of 5.3 million people to normal.

The announcement by Prime Minister Erna Solberg that he would lift the restrictions on the coronavirus late Friday afternoon surprised many Norwegians and brought chaotic sights in the capital Oslo and other countries on Saturday.

A noisy celebration across Norway by hundreds of citizens began on Saturday afternoon and continued until early Sunday. Police said the turmoil was reported in several places, including the southern city of Bergen and the central city of Trondheim, but the situation was the worst in Oslo.

A long line was seen outside Oslo’s nightclubs, bars and restaurants late Saturday, and police recorded at least 50 fights and turmoil during the night. No vaccination status certificate or negative test results are required to enter such a place in Norway.

“That’s exactly what I expected,” Oslo’s angry nightclub manager Johann Hogue Harness told the Norwegian newspaper VG. “It was a life-threatening situation in the city because they (government) didn’t notify us at least a few days ago. This was a dangerous situation as police said everywhere was full. . “

In other cases, Norwegian media reported receiving warnings about men carrying machetes on Oslo buses and those who fainted while waiting to enter a Trondheim pub. ..

“There was a significantly heavier workload (Saturday) than during the summer, Oslo police spokesman Rune Heckelstrand told the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

Solberg responded to criticism of the sudden move to reopen society, saying Norwegian health experts supported the measure.

“Unless professionally justified, we will not take strict (coronavirus) measures. People must be allowed to live the way they want,” Solberg said in a comment to VG late Saturday. rice field.

Norway is the second country to lift the COVID-19 restriction in the Nordic region after Denmark lifted it on September 10.

According to official figures, more than 76% of the Norwegian population of 5.3 million have been vaccinated once, and nearly 70% have both injections.

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