A Christmas party organised by renewable energy company Scatec has been reportedly a ‘super spreader event’ for the Omicron variant in Oslo, Norway.

Reuters reported at least 13 people have been infected with the new variant of the coronavirus following the corporate event.

Last month, the company announced that it was awarded Preferred Bidder status on three solar projects totaling 273MW, by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa.

South Africa has been the area where the Omicron variant was first detected.

A Scatec spokesperson told ELN: “We have had an operative Covid-19 crisis management team during the pandemic, which immediately informed all employees and mapped out the company’s situation. All close contacts were told to quarantine and take a test.

“The confirmed infections followed our hosting of our Christmas Party on Friday 26th November, which, as indicated by Oslo Municipality, was at Aker Brygge.

“Scatec has followed all the guidelines provided by the government during the pandemic, with additional measures in place to protect society and our employees, including advice for any employees that may have recently been to South Africa.

“Following several confirmed cases, we have been in close dialogue with the district chief physician to ensure we follow the best advice on how to follow up with our employees.”

“The focus of Scatec is to take care of our employees and do what we can to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.”

Image: Scatec