THE “FOREIGN” VIRUS? - Justifying Norway’s Border Closure

Abstract

In response to the COVID pandemic, the Norwegian government implemented the strictest border controls in modern Norwegian history, barring entry to most foreign nationals. The Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, justified these policies with reference to the rise of new COVID variants and the need to limit visitors to Norway as much as possible. As this approach has severe adverse effects on many people, there is a need to critically examine the justification given for closing the border. In this paper, we argue that while many border restrictions are legitimate, (1) the arguments given for the recent banning of entry for groups of people are not convincing, and (2) that the ban unduly limits personal freedoms and places an unjust burden on transnational citizens and Norwegians with close relations abroad.