Faced with the surge in Covid contaminations, Sweden is tightening its restrictions. For the first time, the government will make the presentation of a vaccination pass compulsory for events of more than 100 people. The presentation of this document certifying a complete vaccination schedule will be requested from December 1, the government announced on Wednesday. In addition, while people fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus had not been tested since November 1, the Nordic country also decided to reverse this criticized decision.
Although Sweden currently records few cases unlike many European countries, the country “is not isolated from the rest of the world,” Health Minister Lena Hallengren said at a press conference. The presentation of a vaccination certificate, which had been recommended a little earlier by the public health authority, excludes the youngest – the government still has to choose between a threshold of 16 or 18 years.
Exempt restaurants and bars
Events applying the measure will be exempt from other restrictions. Its application is not mandatory, the government explained. But the organizer of an event of more than 100 people who would not apply it would then be struck by other stricter measures. Restaurants and bars are currently exempt.
Sweden stood out in the coronavirus crisis by the lack of containment and a strategy based on recommendations rather than coercive measures, with very limited use of protective masks in public spaces. A law allowed the establishment of a vaccination pass but it had not been put in place outside of international travel. Sweden had lifted almost all of its anti-Covid restrictions at the end of September due to the progress of its vaccination program and the good epidemic situation.
The country currently has an incidence rate of 85.8 cases per 100,000 population in the past 14 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – one of the lowest rates in Europe and far behind its Norwegian or Danish neighbors, which are now registering an outbreak of cases after having lifted most of their health measures.
