Since yesterday, February 9, the Swedish authorities have canceled all anti-coronavirus restrictions in force in the country, as previously planned.
As the head of the Swedish government, Magdalena Andersson, said on February 3, “the pandemic is not over yet, but is entering a completely new phase.” She explained this decision by the high level of vaccination in Sweden and the reduction in the burden on healthcare, in particular, on intensive care units. Thus, in the country, 83.8% of residents over 12 years old are fully vaccinated, 53.1% of the population over 18 years old received a booster dose of the vaccine.
In addition, from February 9, residents of Sweden are invited not to be tested for COVID-19 at the first symptoms of a cold, but simply to stay at home. This decision was made in order to save money: nationwide, testing the population costs the authorities 500 million crowns (55 million dollars) per week.
Other Scandinavian countries are also beginning to lift restrictive measures: Denmark has already lifted all restrictions, Finland plans to do this from February 14, Norway from February 17.