Sweden lifts most of its COVID-19 restrictions

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of Sweden has announced the removal of several measures related to the control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The reason behind this is that most of the population in Sweden has taken the booster shot to protect itself against the Omicron variant, which is the most prevalent variant but it is not as aggressive as Delta if the person has three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

In fact, the Government and the Public Health Agency of Sweden have pointed out that the country’s healthcare system has not been significantly stressed due to the Omicron variant. Because of this, the Swedish authorities have decided to eliminate most of COVID-related restrictions in two stages.

The first one started out on February 9th, 2022, and included:

• The suspension of the limits on the number of people and group sizes that can attend public events, private gatherings, bars, restaurants, and trade fairs.
• The social distancing requirement has been lifted in eating and drinking establishments and in public and private events.
• No minimum square meters per person will be required in malls and venues for cultural and recreational activities.
• Vaccination certificates will no longer be needed to enter these places, and specific closing times will no longer be imposed.
• Not all passengers will have to be seated or wear face masks in long-distance public transport.
• Tournaments and other indoor activities and social gatherings will return.

The rest of the official measures are expected to be removed on stage two, commencing on April 1st, 2022 —unless the rates of infection and the pressure on Sweden’s health system are on the rise by that time.

The rates of vaccination will also be assessed in April. The government of Sweden has recommended all citizens over 12 years old to get vaccinated as soon as they can in order to keep improving the country’s epidemiological situation.

In the meanwhile, the Swedish government will be evaluating a request from Sweden’s Public Health Agency to change the classification of COVID-19. Currently, the disease is legally deemed as a threat to public health, but in the context of the new sanitary conditions, it could be considered as a disease “that must be reported” only.

The government of Sweden has also lifted restrictions on international travel on February 9th, 2022. Concretely, the entry ban on Switzerland and other countries in the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA) has been removed. There are no more special travel rules and requirements for people coming to Sweden from these territories. All they need is their travel documents now.

Restrictions have not been eased for countries outside the EU/EEA, though. Sweden’s entry ban on third countries is scheduled to be lifted on March 31st, 2022. Until then, if you are from a third country, you won’t be allowed into Sweden for non-essential reasons and if you are covered by an exemption, you’ll still have to present a vaccination certificate at the borders.