STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The Swedish government said on Wednesday it would reduce opening hours for all restaurants, bars and cafes as well as tighten limits on the number of people allowed in shops as it sought ward off a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government said it would propose that restaurants and cafes would have to close at 2030 from March 1, tightening restrictions which previously banned sales of alcohol in bars and other establishments from 2000, but allowed them to stay open.
It also said the number of people allowed in shops and malls would be further restricted and that it would provide further details about this measure shortly.
“This is no time to relax,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told a news conference. “We can avoid a third wave if we keep distance.”
Concerns about a possible third wave of the pandemic have been growing in Sweden in recent weeks as the number of new infections has risen and new variants of the disease spread.
The centre-left government has gradually tightened restrictions since late last year after keeping most schools, restaurants and businesses open through the pandemic and relying primarily on voluntary measures.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard)
