Thread by @AikeRots

If an EU/EEA government (like Norway) closes its borders and prohibits non-resident EU citizens from entering, it violates our right of free movement. The problem is not obligatory testing and quarantine; it's that people are not allowed entry EVEN IF they test and quarantine.(1)

I am shocked by the ease and eagerness with which many Norwegian politicians, journalists and ordinary citizens accept this violation of the right of free movement. "Close the borders", people on the left and right have been shouting for months, and they got what they wanted. (2)

Norwegian news media have consistently portrayed Covid-19 as a "foreign" virus, "imported" into the country by migrant workers and tourists. Central to this frame are the widely used neologisms "importsmitte" (imported infections) and "innvandrersmitte" (migrant infections). (3)

In reality, as this graph shows, the number of people infected abroad has been relatively low for months. And as long as you have a functioning system for testing and quarantine, those few who test positive after entry will not infect others. (4)

"If we close the borders, infection rates will drop, and we can go back to normal" has been the dominant media frame for months. Guess what? Borders have closed, but infection rates are rising. Because the virus is circulating locally (graph showing the situation in Oslo). (5)

Millions of Europeans are dependent upon the right of free movement in the EU/EEA. For instance because we live in one country, but work in another. Until recently, this was no problem, and nobody expected this right to be revoked from us so suddenly. (6) nrk.no/osloogviken/sv…

Many of us have relatives or partners in other European countries. The Norwegian government does not allow EU parents to come visit their children if these are over 18. They do not allow grandparents or siblings to come. They do not even allow unmarried partners. (7)

On social media and in newspapers, there are many stories of people who are suffering because they cannot be together with their loved ones. This a powerful essay by a young woman about her experiences. Many of us depend on the right of free movement. (8) dagsavisen.no/debatt/stengt-…

Each government press conference, we are watching. Health minister @BentHHoyre has good news: old people may hug again! Then @Justisdep minister Monica Mæland tells us that borders will stay closed. No hugging for us who naïvely believed that we could live cross-border lives. (9)

For 10 years, I believed that most Norwegians were cosmopolitan and internationally oriented. After all the "close the borders" and "importsmitte" rhetoric, I am not sure anymore. I also believed the Norwegian state cares about international treaties and rights. I was wrong. (10)

Needless to say, this affects people's mental health. Norwegian colleagues assure me that they miss their parents too; that they haven't travelled home for months either. But if something serious were to happen, at least they have that possibility. We don't have that. (11)

I do expect borders to reopen by summer, at least within the Schengen zone. But I am worried about the precedent. Right-wing nationalists are getting what they have dreamed of for years: closed borders. What prevents them from doing this again, when a new opportunity arises? (12)

So who protects our right of free movement within the EU/EEA, if national governments don't do it, and EU institutions are too weak to enforce it? How can we be sure that, when the pandemic is behind us, we will be allowed free travel again? I have lost trust in the state. (13)

This thread got longer than I expected. Glad to see it is gaining attention and support. Just to repeat: I am in favour of obligatory testing and quarantine for those who come from regions with high infection. But if they meet those conditions, they should be allowed entry. (14)