Norway will further tighten restrictions in a bid to limit an expected surge of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told news agency NTB.

"The situation is serious. The spread of infection is too high and we have to take action to limit this development ... Omicron changes the rules," he said, according to Reuters.

Norway is setting record highs both in terms of new Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations, partly due to the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus.