Residents of a Norwegian island where the sun doesn\u2019t set for 69 days of the year want to go \u201ctime-free\u201d and have more flexible school and working hours to make the most of their long summer days.<\/p>\n
People on the island of Sommaroey are pushing to get rid of traditional business hours and \u201cconventional time-keeping\u201d during the midnight sun period that lasts from May 18 to July 26, resident Kjell Ove Hveding said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a bit crazy, but at the same it is pretty serious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sommaroey, which lies north of the Arctic Circle, stays dark from November to January. The idea behind the time-free zone is that disregarding timepieces would make it easier for residents, especially students, employers and workers, to make the most of the precious months when the opposite is true.<\/p>\n
Going off the clock \u201cis a great solution but we likely won\u2019t become an entirely time-free zone as it will be too complex,\u201d Mr. Hveding said. \u201cBut we have put the time element on the agenda, and we might get more flexibility … to adjust to the daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is also to chill out. I have seen people suffering from stress because they were pressed by time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sitting west of Tromsoe, the island has a population of 350. Fishery and tourism are the main industries.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/udaen.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/08-29-06-IN20ARCTICNORWAYTIMEFREEZONE.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"