Tradition trumps safety

After the ólavsøka opening ceremony yesterday afternoon, police chief Michael Boolsen concluded that the public appears to value the ólavsøka tradition higher than the Covid-19 safety guidelines.

He was referring to numerous violations of the social distancing recommendations.

“Asking the public to celebrate ólavsøka differently this year is a bit like asking them to skip Christmas,” he said.

“The police are not authorised to enforce social distancing rules. All we can do is advise people to respect the guidelines.”

A busy night for the police

Police were kept busy throughout last night as people took to the streets of Tórshavn to celebrate the first day of the ólavsøka national holidays.

Officers dealt with numerous drunk people in the streets. They also broke up a few fights, but the disputes were settled in a civilised manner.

The police also frequently reminded people to maintain social distancing.

Translated by prosa.fo