Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Monday 

Norway could have done a better job at providing pandemic information to immigrants

The Norwegian government could have done a better job at reaching out to immigrants with Covid-19 information, Health Minister Bent Høie has said. 

In a new report, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has said that the brunt of the pandemic has been skewed, and immigrants, in particular, have been vulnerable to Covid-19 as a result. 

"We could have been better at reaching out with information. We could even have worked better with the younger people with parents who have an immigrant background," he told public broadcaster NRK. 

He says first-generation immigrants who may lack Norwegian language skills or do not follow Norwegian media could have been provided with better information. 

Use of facemasks plummeting

Just over a third of people in Norway say that they usually wear a facemask in public places where it is difficult to social distance, according to the latest Norwegian Corona Monitor from data collection firm Opinion. 

In total, 36 percent said they wore the masks, a drop of 26 percentage points compared to the month before and the lowest level the data firm have ever recorded. 

In addition, less than a quarter, 23 percent, said they were worried about being infected, down seven percentage points from September. 

Electricity price has doubled since last year

Between September last year and September this year, electricity prices in Norway have increased by 107 percent, according to Statistics Norway. 

The sky-rocketing energy prices are being linked to the strongest growth in inflation in over five years. 

The country's consumer price index (CPI) rose by 4.1 percent from September last year to the same time this year.

READ MORE: How much will electricity bills in Norway cost this winter?

"By far the most important contributor to the increase in the CPI over the last twelve months is the historically high electricity prices," Statistics Norway outlined. 

Parts of Norway wake up to snow 

Parts of the country have woken up to the season's first snow. Furthermore, from today temperatures will continue to fall, and more snow should be on the way. 

Southern Norway can expect snow cover from 600-800 metres above sea level. Snow is expected at similar altitudes in Trøndaleg and Møre og Romsdal. 

In the north, snow is expected down to sea level. 

En mild oktobersøndag på hele fastlandet, men nå er det kaldere luft på vei. I Sør-Norge må man belage seg på snø ned mot 600-800 moh, mens man i Nord-Norge kan få snø helt ned i fjæresteinene utover i uka❄️☃️ pic.twitter.com/EksHo1cOV8

— Meteorologene (@Meteorologene) October 10, 2021

287 new cases of Covid-19 infection 

On Sunday, 287 cases of Covid-19 were registered in Norway, 149 less than the average for the previous seven days. 

In Oslo, 76 people tested positive for coronavirus. Cases tend to be lower on weekends as fewer people get tested, and fewer samples get processed. 

Total number of reported Covid-19 cases in Norway. Source: Norwegian Institute of Public Health.