New Insights into the New Variant: The Omicron Wave Hits Europe

On Fridays, the popular seafood restaurant Louise, located right on the Oslo waterfront, turns into a nightclub – as it did on a recent, ice-cold evening in November. Employees of the company Scatec, which specializes in renewable energies, began arriving early in the evening, ultimately swelling to a crowd of 119 people. They were all looking forward to the company Christmas party.

“Everyone was happy to finally eat together again, drink some wine and dance,” says Tine Ravlo, a doctor who is also the public health official in charge of the Oslo district where Louise is located. And then, she says, there was the cold. “Nobody wanted to go outside or open a window.”