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Sweden has capped the number of people sitting together in cafes and restaurants to eight per table, amid a sharp rise in coronavirus infections.
“We have a very serious situation,” warned Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, saying the virus “was going in the wrong direction.”
Coronavirus: Sweden Introduces Rule of Eight for Diners Amid Rise in Infections https://t.co/N8QMOnBFG9 pic.twitter.com/nK72XSnSpv
– World News (@Worldnews_Media) November 3, 2020
Sweden has reported 31 Covid deaths since Friday, bringing the death toll to 5,969, far more than its neighbors.
Unlike them, Sweden has never imposed a national blockade.
Mr Löfven also announced stricter recommendations, including working from home if possible and avoiding public transport, for three other regions: Halland, Örebro and Jönköping.
This means that around 70% of the country’s 10.5 million inhabitants now live under the new government guidelines, which are voluntary.
The head of the Swedish Public Health Agency, Johan Carlson, said he hoped the public could work together to stop the spread of the virus, adhering to voluntary national and regional guidelines, as they did during the spring and summer.
However, he warned the Swedes that “we have a long and harsh winter ahead.”
More than 134,000 people have been infected in the Scandinavian country since the start of the pandemic.
Last month, health authorities urged Swedes over 70 and other risk groups to follow the same coronavirus guidelines as the rest of the population.
The authorities previously advised those groups to avoid all close contact with people they did not live with.
But Sweden’s chief of public health said self-isolation had affected the elderly.
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