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As of October 8, the 50-person limit no longer applies during public gatherings at restaurants such as nightclubs and restaurants. However, some of the above restrictions remain. Guests must eat and drink seated and can only dance with their companions at their table.
One of the discos That reopened this weekend is the Spy Bar club which is located at Stureplan in Stockholm. In pictures that partygoers have posted on social media, people dance together in larger groups. The images have received criticism from various quarters, including Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
– Going to crowded parties, which run the risk of increasing the spread of the infection, no, it is not smart. You shouldn’t go or throw that kind of party, he tells Aftonbladet.
Linda Nordlund is a marketing manager for Stureplansgruppen, which owns several nightclubs, including Spy Bar. She believes the club has made changes to ensure social distancing.
– The room has been adapted and furnished so that guests can keep a safe distance from each other from an infection control point of view and we only have seated service. An increased staff is also actively working to avoid congestion both at our facilities, at the entrance and through specially marked queuing systems, he says.
On social media, images of party people dancing together at the Spy Bar nightclub have spread.
Photo: Roger Turesson
Maria Rotzén Östlund is an infection control physician in the Stockholm Region. She tells DN that there are few rules that formally regulate the number of people in, for example, nightclubs, which is the case for, for example, music events, demonstrations and other gatherings protected by law, which do not include activities of restaurant and disco.
– The formality of the inspections refers to the places that have restaurants, where there are regulations and general advice that those who run the places should take measures to avoid congestion. There it is the case that now the municipalities are in charge of the inspections and measurements.
Between October 5 and 12, 27 Stockholm restaurants received complaints for not fully complying with the regulations. Only one, Olsson’s shoes in Vasastan, was forced to close completely and then reopen. Maria Rotzén Östlund says that the infection control side is noticing an increased spread of the infection in the Stockholm region.
– Something is happening because we see that there is actually a greater spread of the infection. And we know that there is a greater spread of infection when they are together.
As Maria Rotzén Östlund says the spread of infection in Stockholm has increased. The status report released by the Stockholm Region on Tuesday shows that 660 new cases of covid-19 have been found in the last four days. The increase in hospital care for covid-19 in the Stockholm Region stands out above all, 57 on Tuesday compared to 37 on October 9.
Daniel Persson is head of the Food Control Department of the Environmental Administration. If the number of checks increases now that even nightclubs can get back to business, you can’t answer.
– It has been quiet in front of the disco during the summer, but it is now that we see what the problems really are like and how we should carry out that supervision in the best way. With the new rules, we have to adapt supervision accordingly.
He means that only Nightclub activities can be a problem when it comes to following social distancing guidelines.
– In theory, it’s about not being congestion. In practice, it is difficult to solve. Obviously it’s harder to get people to do it if you say there’s alcohol and it’s late at night.
It is still unclear how to act on the part of the authorities after the change in regulations.
– There is no exact detailed plan. We see a new reality out there and we have to adapt.
Daniel Persson thinks that the biggest problem is not a single nightclub or bar, it is a bigger problem.
– If we only had one nightclub, we could have performed in it, but it’s a broader problem, he says.
In response to a question from Mia Holmgren of DN, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says during the joint press conference Tuesday:
– On the one hand, it is the municipalities that must see if people really follow the general guidelines. Then, in a discussion with them, we can see if there is anything that needs to be fine-tuned to make it even clearer that you shouldn’t create an environment where there is congestion.
Anders Tegnell cannot comment on whether it is a growing problem but refers to local environmental administrations.
Read more: Every third restaurant in Stockholm violates congestion rules
