Covid-19 alert
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Sweden to announce decision on potential Covid-19 travel restrictions
In a press conference later today, Sweden's health minister Jakob Forssmed and department head of the Public Health Agency, Sara Byfors, are expected to make an announcement on whether Sweden will introduce restrictions for travellers arriving from China.
How much should we be concerned about rising Covid-19 rates in Sweden?
Covid-19 cases are once again escalating in more than a hundred countries, including Sweden, with the new Omicron variants, BA.4 and BA.5, both harder to track and more resistant to vaccines. Should we be worried?
Covid-19: European summer holidays threatened by rise of subvariants
A resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Europe, this time driven by new, fast-spreading Omicron subvariants, is once again threatening to disrupt people's summer plans.
Covid face mask rule on flights in Europe set to be eased
The mandatory EU-wide mask requirement for air travel is set to be dropped from Monday, May 16th, but airlines may still require passengers to wear masks on some or all flights
'Like generals fighting the last war': How Sweden got Covid-19 wrong
The assumptions Sweden's Public Health Agency made at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic were "fundamentally wrong", and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven should have shown "true leadership" and ordered the agency to change course, the chair of Sweden's Covid-19 inquiry has told The Local.
KEY POINTS: The final verdict on Sweden's Covid-19 response
Sweden's decision to rely on voluntary measures rather than a strict lockdown to handle the Covid-19 pandemic was "fundamentally correct", but its measures were too weak and too late, the final report by the Coronavirus Commission concludes.
Sweden scraps all Covid border restrictions for EU travellers
From February 9th it is possible to travel to Sweden from the rest of the EU without showing a Covid vaccine pass or negative test.
How do international residents feel about Sweden lifting Covid restrictions?
Sweden lifted almost all Covid-19 restrictions on Wednesday. We asked The Local's readers how they feel about this, and got over 100 responses – here's what they told us.
Sweden to lift nearly all Covid-19 restrictions next week
The Swedish government announced plans to remove the majority of restrictions against Covid-19 on February 9th in a press conference on Thursday morning.
Sweden cuts waiting period for Covid booster to three months
Sweden’s Public Health Agency now recommends shortening the interval between the second and third dose of the Covid vaccine from five to three months.
Sweden extends entry ban for non-EU/EEA travellers until spring
Sweden has extended its border restrictions until the end of March for non-EU arrivals, and removed visitors from Argentina, Australia and Canada from the list of exemptions.
Sweden sets tentative date for lifting Covid restrictions
Sweden may lift most of its Covid restrictions starting February 9th, if the ongoing outbreak of the Omicron variant peaks by then and vaccinations continue apace, Health Minister Lena Hallengren told a press conference on Wednesday.
Covid-19: Record-high case numbers and Swedish school closures
The region of Västra Götaland - where Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city, is located - reported 44,791 positive cases of Covid-19 last week, the highest number in a single week since the pandemic began.
Sweden scraps negative Covid test for foreigners from some countries
Less than four weeks after it was introduced, Sweden will later this week scrap the Covid test requirement for foreign visitors from some countries and bring back the vaccine pass rules that applied before the turn of the year.
Sweden records highest number of daily Covid cases since start of pandemic
On December 30th, 11,507 new cases of Covid-19 were reported to the Public Health Agency – the highest confirmed number for a single day since the start of the pandemic. However, large-scale testing did not begin until the autumn of 2020.
UPDATED: Ten Covid rules to be aware of in Sweden this Christmas
A series of new recommendations and restrictions are being rolled out in Sweden for the Christmas period, and negative tests for all foreign tourists are also in the pipeline. Here's The Local's guide to some of the key points and links to where you can get more information.