- Sweden announced a further tightening of measures this week, as its COVID-19 cases continue to increase.
- The country may also face its first blockade, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned this week.
- New infections have led Sweden to gradually abandon its unique approach that it initially adopted.
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Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned this week that the country is facing its first blockade since the pandemic began, as it appears unable to control the growing number of coronavirus cases.
The country, which was famous for relying mainly on voluntary measures during the pandemic, was forced to gradually harden its differentiated approach after seeing an increase in the number of cases in the past two weeks.
On Thursday, Sweden reported more than 4,800 new cases of coronavirus and 40 deaths – the highest since the beginning of the month, according to a John Hopkins University tracker. Sweden has recorded more than 659,000 cases since the pandemic began.
“We are seeing an increase in cases again, we need to take further action,” Lofven said at a news conference on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg. “If the situation gets worse, the government is prepared to impose a possible blockade on parts of Sweden. Hopefully, that will not be necessary.”
Sweden has been struggling to keep its growing cases in check for several weeks. In December, the government issued its first recommendation for the use of face masks – a topic that was largely taboo in the country.
A month later, Sweden closed its borders with neighboring countries Norway and Denmark and also introduced a law that would allow the government to close restaurants, shops and public transport to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The measures were even tighter this week, when Lofven announced that from 1 March, restaurants and cafes that do not serve alcohol will have to close at 8:30 pm and that there will be a limit on the number of people admitted to stores and gyms.
Shopping mall restaurants will become take-out only and amateur sports will also be discontinued, Lofven said.
The restrictions arise not only because cases continue to increase, but also because public health experts have indicated that the country’s health system now faces new variants of the virus.
Anders Tegnell, the architect of Sweden’s initial unblocked response, said on Tuesday that it now seemed “almost inevitable” that the UK’s most infectious variant would become dominant in Sweden, The Telegraph reported. In Stockholm, it is already identified in 27 percent of the tested samples.
The day after Sweden announced adjustments to its measures, neighboring Prime Minister Finland declared a three-week coronavirus block beginning March 8, which would have all restaurants closed and a maximum of six authorized. to get together.