Swedish Government loosens more restrictions

This was deemed possible after COVID situation was said to be “moving in the right direction”

Developments in the pandemic are steadily moving in the right direction. This is the formal conclusion of the Swedish authorities who held a press conference on Monday to announce further loosening of in-place measures. The new rules start applying today, 15 July.

The spread of infection and the number of people who need hospital care for COVID-19 is decreasing every week. Almost 70 percent of the adult Swedish population has received at least one dose of vaccine. The above means that the authorities felt confident in their assessment to proceed with step 3 in the Government's plan for the abolition of the restrictions.

Step 3 of the Government’s Plan on COVID management

“It is positive that we can ease the restrictions even more, but feel free to spend time outdoors as much as possible this summer and think about continuing to keep your distance from others and avoiding congestion,” recommended Anders Tegnell, state epidemiologist at the Swedish Public Health Agency, when speaking at the press conference on Monday.

Indeed, people can now relax and enjoy summer better given the loosening in measures.

The square meter limit that governs how many people are allowed to stay in a certain place at the same time, for example, a shop, a gym, an amusement park or a zoo, will be removed. Businesses must still take measures to avoid congestion and companies must be able to keep their distance from each other. The responsibility for ensuring that this is followed lies with both the business and the individual. 

The size of parties that have designated seats at a public gathering or a public event, such as football games, is increased from four to eight people. This applies to both indoor and outdoor venues. The parties must still be able to keep a distance of at least 1 meter from other groups. 

The government has also decided that passenger restrictions in long-distance public transport will be removed and that the municipalities' ability to decide on a stay ban in specified places will be abolished.

If goes according to plan, the next Step, number 4, is set to take place in September.