Norway will start to unwind some restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and allow more people to gather in private homes and at events from Friday, Reuters quoted Prime Minister Erna Solberg as saying on Tuesday.

The easing of rules at the national level will not affect those in areas where infection rate is the highest, such as in the capital region, she said.

“The infection numbers are now down. Hospitalisations are fewer. The measures look to have had an effect,” Solberg told a news conference.

Norway has had some of Europe’s lowest rates of infections and deaths since the start of the pandemic, but imposed stricter measures after a rapid increase in hospitalisations in March led by more contagious variants of the coronavirus.