Sweden Limits Public Gatherings to Eight People to Fight Coronavirus

Sweden limits public gatherings to eight people in the fight against further spread of the coronavirus.

Compliance with the Swedish coronavirus recommendations has decreased, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven explained the new measure.

“This is the new standard for the whole of society,” Löfven said at a press conference. “Don’t go to gyms, don’t go to libraries, don’t organize dinner parties. Cancel.” The measure already applied to restaurants.

Sweden has drawn international attention for its unorthodox response to the pandemic, avoiding lockdowns and relying instead on voluntary measures.

The per capita death rate in Sweden is several times higher than that of its Scandinavian neighbours but lower than in some larger European countries such as Spain. More than 6,000 people in total have died with Covid-19 in Sweden.

The resurgence of the disease hit Sweden weeks later than much of mainland Europe. But the number of new infections has increased since the turn of the month, with hospital admissions also growing.

“We have a dire situation,” Löfven said two weeks ago. “Intensive care beds are increasingly being used to treat Covid patients. The respite we received this summer is over.”