2020 in Norway

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Centuries:	19th 20th 21st
Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	List of years in Norway

Events in the year 2020 in Norway.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Harald V
• Prime Minister – Erna Solberg (Conservative).

Events

• 1 January

– The municipal and county reform come into effect:

• The county of Agder is established by unification of the former counties of Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder.
• The county of Innlandet is established by unification of the former counties of Hedmark and Oppland.
• The county of Troms og Finnmark is established by unification of the former counties of Troms and Finnmark.
• The county of Vestfold og Telemark is established by unification of the former counties of Vestfold and Telemark.
• The county of Vestland is established by unification of the former counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane.
• The county of Viken is established by unification of the former counties of Akershus, Buskerud and Østfold.
• The number of municipalities is reduced from 422 to 356 as of 42 municipal mergers.

– Multiple citizenship is allowed.

– Both parents of newborn children will automatically be the legal guardian, regardless of whether they are married or live together.

• 3 January - The funeral of Ari Behn is held at Oslo Cathedral.
• 7 January - A fire erupts in the parking garage at Stavanger Airport Sola damaging around 60 vehicles. The fire is said to have come from an old petrol car.
• 9 January - The hearings into the NAV scandal commences, calling upon the Prime Minister, Minister of Labour Anniken Hauglie, Minister of Justice Jøran Kallmyr, and former Ministers of Labour Hanne Bjurstrøm and Anniken Huitfeldt.
• 9–14 January - The group stage of the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship is held in Trondheim.
• 18 January - Erling Haaland made his league debut for Borussia Dortmund and scored a hat-trick.
• 20 January - The Progress Party announces that they will be withdrawing from Solberg's Cabinet after prolonged disagreement with fellow coalition parties, thereby also reducing the government to a minority.
• 24 January - Prime Minister Erna Solberg presents her new cabinet, now a minority government consisting of the Conservatives, Liberals and Christian Democrats.
• 15 February - the final round of the Melodi Grand Prix 2020 was held; Ulrikke Brandstorp emerging as winner.
• 17 February - Widerøe cuts 4,000 flights due to high costs.
• 19–22 February - The 2020 Women's Bandy World Championship was held in Oslo.
• 23 February - Jarl Magnus Riiber became the winningest racer in a single season of the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup, surpassing Hannu Manninen's previous record with his 13th race victory. Riiber would later win his 14th race of the season.
• 29 February–1 March - The 2020 World Allround Speed Skating Championships was held in Hamar.
• 5–11 March - The World Junior Alpine Skiing Championships 2020 was held in Narvik. Scheduled to last until 14 March, it was aborted on the evening of 11 March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 7 March - Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen raced for the last time in cross-country skiing.
• March - Håvard Bøkko raced for the last time in speed skating.
• 26 March - The Iraqi-Kurdish Islamic scholar and militant Mullah Krekar had been confirmed extradited from Norway to Italy, where he will be sentenced to jail for leading a jihadist network.
• 11 June - Sondre Nordstad Moen established a European record in the 25 000 metre track run at the Bislett Impossible Games.
• 16 June - 2020 Eliteserien commences play after being suspended during the pandemic, originally being scheduled to start on 4 April.
• 17 June - Norway is elected to a two-year term to the United Nations Security Council to begin on January 1, 2021 during the 2020 Security Council Elections.
• 8 August - Sondre Nordstad Moen established a European record in the one hour track run at Kristiansand stadion.

COVID-19 pandemic

Leaders associated with the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Bent Høie, Minister of Health and Care Services
• Bjørn Guldvog, director of the Norwegian Directorate for Health
• Espen Rostrup Nakstad, acting deputy director of the Norwegian Directorate for Health
• Camilla Stoltenberg, director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health
• Preben Aavitsland, chief physician in the Norwegian Institute of Public Health

Timeline:

• 26 February - the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Norway
• 12 March - the first confirmed COVID-19 death in Norway
• 12 March - start of the nationwide lockdown, closing all kindergartens, schools, universities and colleges, gyms, swimming arenas and hairdressers
• 13 March - the Government of Norway issued the first economic crisis package, of 6.5 billion kr
• 15 March - increase of the nationwide lockdown, closing all psychologists, opticians, physiotherapists and similar health offices
• 19 March - the Government of Norway issued part two of the first economic crisis package
• 19 March - increase of the nationwide lockdown, enforcing a ban on sleepovers in cabins and lodges ("the lodge ban")
• 21 March - the Parliament of Norway passed an emergency mandate law, lasting one month
• 21 March - the Parliament of Norway passed a new economic crisis package
• 31 March - the Parliament of Norway passed a new economic crisis package
• 8 April - the death toll reached 100
• 20 April - decrease of the nationwide lockdown, opening kindergartens, dentists, psychologists and physiotherapists
• 20 April - repeal of "the lodge ban"
• 21 April - the Parliament of Norway prolonged the emergency mandate law, lasting one month
• 27 April - decrease of the nationwide lockdown, opening primary schools for grades 1–4 as well as upper secondary schools for vocational students

Anniversaries

• 250 years since the introduction of Freedom of the press in Denmark-Norway by Johann Friedrich Struensee. The introduction was repealed shortly after.
• 1 January – 50 years since the Value Added Tax (VAT) of 20% was introduced and becomes the state's largest source of income.
• 15 February – 100 years since the birth of Anne-Cath. Vestly.
• 19 March – 100 years since the birth of Kjell Aukrust.
• 17 June – 100 years since the foundation of Farmers' Party (later known as Centre Party).
• 28 August – 50 years since the foundation of The People's Movement against Norwegian Membership of EEC (precursor to No to the EU)
• 10 August – 300 years since Moss got status as a city.
• 12 November – 300 years since the death of Peter Wessel Tordenskiold.
• 30 November – 100 years since the Labour Party accepts the Twenty-one Conditions and formally becomes a Communist Party.

Deaths

Tor Obrestad

Jahn Teigen

Alf Cranner

Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg

Jon Ola Norbom

Elisabeth Berge

Erik Tandberg

• 1 January – Laurie Grundt, painter (b. 1923).
• 5 January – Guri Ingebrigtsen, politician (b. 1952).
• 5 January – Bjørn Unneberg, politician (b. 1928).
• 8 January – Christine Præsttun, television presenter (b. 1971).
• 9 January – Bergljot Sandvik-Johansen, gymnast and figure skater (b. 1922).
• 12 January – Gunnar Østrem, glaciologist (b. 1922).
• 12 January – Frank Nervik, footballer (b. 1934).
• 15 January – Karl Sundby, actor (b. 1953).
• 25 January – Tor Obrestad, writer (b. 1938).
• 26 January – Magnhild Skjesol, handballer (b. 1931).
• 26 January – Terje Meyer, designer (b. 1942).
• 27 January – Haakon Bjørklid, illustrator (b. 1925).
• 6 February – Hans Petter Hansen, singer (b. 1948).
• 11 February – Jack Kramer, footballer (b. 1939).
• 12 February – Jan E. Hansen, writer and critic (b. 1959).
• 13 February – Herman Kahan, writer (b. 1926).
• 17 February – Per Oskar Andersen, neurologist (b. 1930).
• 17 February – Barry Matheson, impresario (b. 1941).
• 18 February – Jon Christensen, jazz drummer (b. 1943).
• 21 February – Erling Sandmo, historian and music critic (b. 1963).
• 23 February – Morten Wilhelm Wilhelmsen, ship-owner (b. 1937).
• 24 February – Jahn Teigen, singer (b. 1949).
• 27 February – Annie Riis, author (b. 1927).
• 1 March – Sven Ivar Dysthe, furniture designer (b. 1931).
• 3 March – Alf Cranner, singer (b. 1936).
• 4 March – Finn Eriksen, trumpeter (b. 1937).
• 4 March – Leiv O. Holstad, Christian philanthropist (b. 1951).
• 8 March – Jan-Henrik Fredriksen, politician (b. 1956).
• 10 March – Knut Hendriksen, opera director (b. 1944).
• 14 March – Jon Atle Gaarder, diplomat (b. 1934).
• 16 March – Ranveig Frøiland, politician (b. 1945).
• 16 March – Jan Levor Njargel, politician (b. 1943).
• 24 March – Kari Onstad, actress (b. 1941).
• 30 March – Hjørdis Nerheim, philosopher (b. 1940).
• 31 March – Ragnar Kristoffersen, politician (b. 1941).
• 2 April – Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg, politician (b. 1936)
• 5 April – Svein Ellingsen, psalmist (b. 1929).
• 9 April – Bjørn Haug, jurist (b. 1928).
• 9 April – Torvild Aakvaag, industrialist (b. 1927).
• 11 April – Arne Wilhelmsen, ship-owner (b. 1929).
• 12 April – Axel Berg (b. 1938).
• 12 April – Jon Ola Norbom, politician (b. 1923).
• 13 April – Jens Erik Fenstad, mathematician (b. 1935).
• 14 April – Elisabeth Berge, civil servant (b. 1954).
• 16 April – Arne Nilsen, politician (b. 1924).
• 16 April – Lars Bucher-Johannessen, publisher (b. 1929).
• 22 April – Inger Heldal, actress (b. 1940).
• 27 April – Johannes Gjerdåker, writer (b. 1936).
• 2 May – Erik Tandberg, space aviation engineer (b. 1932).
• 5 May – Kjell Karlsen, band leader (b. 1931).
• 19 May – Arvid Torgeir Lie, writer (b. 1938).
• 20 May – Egil Grandhagen, missionary leader (b. 1947).
• 21 May – Arnulf Kolstad, social psychologist (b. 1942).
• 21 May – Bekim Sejranović, novelist (b. 1972).
• 22 May – Torgeir Flatmark, chemist (b. 1931).
• 23 May – Kåre Dæhlen, ambassador (b. 1926).
• 27 May – Vegard Vigerust, writer (b. 1925).
• 31 May – Kjell B. Hansen, politician (b. 1967).
• 6 June – Gunnar Nordhus, researcher and convicted fraudster (b. 1949).
• 7 June – Edith Thallaug, opera singer (b. 1929).
• 13 June – Helge Rykkja, lyricist (b. 1943).
• 13 June – Knut Bohwim, film director (b. 1931).
• 15 June – Janne Bondi Johannessen, linguist (b. 1960).
• 17 June – Astrid Gjertsen, politician (b. 1928).
• 20 June – Svein Arne Hansen, sports official (b. 1946).
• 20 or 21 June – Frank Tømmervåg, footballer (b. 1951).
• 27 June – Marit Røgeberg, politician (b. 1945).
• 30 June – Nils Fredrik Wisløff, civil servant (b. ).
• 1 July – Beate Grimsrud, novelist (b. 1963).
• 5 July – Grethe Ryen, actress (b. 1949).
• 8 July – Finn Christian Jagge, alpine skier (b. 1966).
• 14 July – Borghild Røyseland, politician (b. 1926).