Sweden ditches controversial Covid approach and grants government power to impose strict measures

New law will be used in near future, says prime minister

Sweden’s prime minister Stefan Lofven speaks at a press conference in Stockholm on 18 December, 2020.  (AP)

Sweden has passed new legislation allowing its government to introduce strict coronavirus restrictions, bringing its approach more into line with the rest of Europe.

The bill, which was approved by Swedish politicians on Friday, grants the executive the power to close shops and public transport, as well as to fine people who breach social distancing guidelines.

It also enables the government to limit gatherings in public spaces such as parks if such measures are deemed necessary.

The country’s prime minister Stefan Lofven told public broadcaster SVT that the new law, originally planned for March before a spike in cases put extra pressure on hospitals, would be used imminently.

Speaking about the bill during the debate, health minister Lena Hallengren said: “This is first and foremost about measures to hinder the spread of the virus, but without imposing unnecessary limits on things that can be done without risking infection.”

Opposition politicians, however, criticised the government for being slow to introduce the legislation, which broadens its ability to cope with a second wave of cases.

Sweden’s previously more relaxed approach to the pandemic has stood out from other European states, many of which have relied on full national lockdowns in order to drive down infection rates.

Jonas Ludvigsson, an epidemiologist at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, told the Financial Times that recent changes mean Sweden is no longer an outlier in Europe.

“I don’t think Sweden stands out [from the rest of the world] very much right now. Most of the things that made Sweden different have changed — either in Sweden or elsewhere,” he said.

Sweden has been criticised by some for its handling of the pandemic, as its death rate per capita is a few times higher than that of its neighbours. So far, it has recorded 9,262 deaths and 482,284 coronavirus infections.

In a rare political intervention made shortly before Christmas, Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf took aim at the country’s coronavirus response.

“I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died and that is terrible,” he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters