December
Vaccination against covid-19 begins
December 27th
The first vaccinations against covid-19 are being carried out, since Sweden, like other EU countries, has received a first batch of a vaccine developed by Pfizer and Biontech. In the first round, it is people in nursing homes who are vaccinated and then employees in health and care follow.
The border with Denmark is closed
December 21st
According to cheeroutdoor, Sweden is closing the border with Denmark due to a mutated variant of the coronavirus that has been discovered in the neighboring country and is believed to be more contagious than the original virus. All flights from the UK have also been stopped as the mutation is also there. It is the first time during the pandemic that Sweden closes the border with a neighboring country. However, Denmark as well as Norway and Finland have stopped entry from Sweden, which has had a higher spread of infection.
Mouth protection is recommended for the first time in Sweden
December 18
The government is tightening restrictions and recommendations further to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, from Christmas Eve and one month onwards. For the first time, mouth protection is recommended in public transport when there is congestion (valid from 7 January). Alcohol sales will be stopped at 8 pm, a maximum of four people may sit at the same table in restaurants and the number of visitors to shopping centers, large shops, gyms and the like is limited. The government calls on the regions to close libraries, museums and the like. The upper secondary schools will run distance education until 24 January.
Corona Commission critical of government
December 15
In an interim report, the corona commission appointed in June sharply criticizes the government for a failed strategy to protect the elderly during the pandemic. Structural deficiencies in elderly care are said to be a decisive reason, and the responsibility for this lies, according to the Commission, with both the current and previous governments. The shortcomings meant that the readiness to deal with the pandemic was poor, and measures were taken far too late to reduce the risks of the spread of elderly care. The Commission points out that the Nordic neighboring countries have handled the situation much better. Both the government and the Public Health Agency have now confirmed that the country is in a second wave of infection.
Another tightening of restrictions
December 3rd
Continued widespread spread of the corona virus leads the government to recommend distance education in all upper secondary schools from 7 December until the start of the spring term. The death toll in covid-19 now stands at 7,000.
November
Increased spread of infection results in stricter restrictions
16 November
Since the spread of the coronavirus has gained new momentum, the government is tightening national restrictions. The number of people allowed to participate in public gatherings is limited from 24 November to eight people from the previous 50 (a decision in October to raise the ceiling to 300 people never became a reality in practice). In restaurants, which are not covered by rules for public gatherings, it already applies that a maximum of eight people may sit together and that alcohol serving must end at 10 pm. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven warns that the situation will get even worse, and urges everyone to “do their duty “By refraining from activities that risk increasing the spread. He emphasizes that the measures are unparalleled in modern times. Interior Minister Mikael Damberg says that the restrictions should be seen as “normative” and should also affect private events. In 20 of the country’s 21 regions, stricter local restrictions already apply. The number of deaths in covid-19 exceeded 6,000 at the beginning of November.
October
The restraining order on nursing homes is lifted
1 October
In accordance with what was announced two weeks earlier, the trial ban on the country’s nursing homes will be lifted. This is despite the fact that a certain increase in the spread of the coronavirus has now also been noted in Sweden.
September
Relief in coronary restrictions is announced
September 15
Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren announces that the ban on visiting nursing homes will end. The ban was introduced on April 1 to stop the spread of the coronavirus and has since been extended in two rounds. The assessment is now that the ban may end as the spread of infection in society has decreased and measures have been taken in elderly care. However, the Swedish Public Health Agency’s recommendations still apply that everyone should think about social distancing, hand hygiene and staying at home at the slightest sign of illness. The spread of infection in Sweden is currently lower than in most other countries in Europe. The number of deaths in covid-19 amounts to 5,860 people.
August
Sharp fall in GDP
5 August
The economy shrank by 8.6 percent during the second quarter of the year compared with the previous quarter, despite the fact that Sweden’s economy did not formally shut down. Compared with the second quarter of 2019, the economy shrank by 8.2 percent, according to Statistics Sweden. The number of unemployed in July was 500,000, or 8.9 percent of the labor force. This means an increase of approximately 2 percentage points compared with the same month the year before.
