Norwegian official apologizes for making 2020 an hour longer

Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The Norwegian official responsible for Daylight Saving Time in the country apologized for adding an additional hour to what "has already been a very demanding year."

Iselin Nybo, whose duties as minister of Trade and Industry include implementing Daylight Saving Time, said the clocks will be set back an hour Sunday morning in accordance with the traditional time change.

"As minister of time, I strongly regret that 2020 will be another hour longer. This has already been a very demanding year for many," Nybo told the Norwegian News Agency.

She encouraged Norwegians to look on the "brighter" side to the time change.

"When we set the clock back, the night gets an hour longer. This means that when we get up on Sunday, the sun has managed to get a little further up above the horizon than at the same time the day before, and we get a brighter morning than we would otherwise have," she said.

The European Parliament voted in 2019 to back a proposal to do away with the twice-yearly Daylight Saving Time change, with a goal of eliminating it by 2021. The proposal has not been ratified by the European Council.