How to evaluate the success of the COVID-19 measures implemented by the Norwegian government by analyzing changes in doubling time

Biljana Stangeland

Should these results make us feel optimistic about the potential outcomes of COVID-19 in Nordic countries? Realistically, it is still too early to tell. The results support the notion that the decrease of DT in Scandinavia could be the result of governments implementing strict social-distancing measures. The evidence suggests that all Nordic countries which implemented the measures experienced the same trend, which strengthens the hypothesis that the measures are successful. An exception to this is Iceland, where the positive trend towards reduction in the number of new infections started slightly earlier. Another significant factor that may be influencing these outcomes is that certain restrictive measures were already in place in Norway before the 12 th of March 2020. People began working from home and travel activities were reduced even before the implementation of official measures.