STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -Sweden’s government on Friday introduced the toughest measures yet to help stave off a second wave of the pandemic, including recommending masks on public transport and closing non-essential public workplaces.
Sweden has stubbornly resisted lockdowns and has left most schools, businesses and restaurants open throughout the pandemic.
However, a severe second wave of the pandemic, with record numbers of new cases almost every week for the past two months, has prompted the government to do more.
Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday non-essential public workplaces, such as gyms, pools and libraries, would close until Jan. 24. He also said the government now recommended using masks on public transport during crowded hours.
“We are doing what we have done throughout this pandemic, the right measures at the right time. And this is what this is,” Lofven said.
With the number of deaths close to 8,000 Sweden’s death rate per capita is several times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours but lower than several European countries that opted for lockdowns.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Simon Johnson; editing by Anna Ringstrom and Jonathan Oatis)
