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This week, seven regions have received stricter local general advice to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In five of them (Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Värmland, Västmanland and Dalarna) residents are urged to avoid traveling in and out of their own region.
No new general travel stop is relevant. According to Anders Tegnell, the spread of the infection looks different in these five regions.
– There is a risk of spreading the infection to parts of these regions that have not previously had as much infection. There is a difference with the more densely populated and larger regions where there is already a spread of the infection everywhere, Tegnell says at Thursday’s press conference.
Before Christmas, Typically the biggest travel weekend of the year, however, the Public Health Agency plans to develop guidelines that apply across the country.
– We will have to talk with regions and ski resorts about how to handle Christmas, especially small regions with many travelers. There may be problems with resources and being able to assess and care for people. We are following the situation and some form of regulation may be necessary to reduce pressure on the regions, says Anders Tegnell.
When will the Christmas trips be announced?
– Unfortunately, in the reality in which we live, the situation changes from week to week, says Anders Tegnell, who still hopes to leave a message before December 1.
Tegnell has previously said that this year there is no time for big family parties around Christmas, especially if there are older people in the family. According to the state epidemiologist, you shouldn’t associate with people you don’t normally know.
The last weeks the spread of the infection has increased dramatically in Sweden. A total of 171,365 infected with the virus have been confirmed, of which 4,658 in the last 24 hours. 6,122 people with covid-19 have died. There have been 40 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Medical care is under increasing pressure and nine regions are in the so-called personal mode or reinforcement mode. Currently, 128 patients with Covid-19 are cared for in intensive care. This means that approximately 30 percent of all intensive care patients are now corona patients.
Has Sweden been put to bed by the rapidly deteriorating situation?
– No, I wouldn’t say that. The local councils were in place before that and we have had them as a great tool during this period so we were way ahead.
The infection is increasing in nursing homes and both Stockholm and Gothenburg have reintroduced the ban on visitors.
Should a national ban be reintroduced in view of the increasing spread of the infection in society?
– This is an issue we continually discuss. When we speak to the regions, they say that it is extremely unusual that visits have caused the infection to spread in nursing homes, says Anders Tegnell.
Clear rules for nursing home visitation work well today, according to Tegnell. However, it is more doubtful that the decision in late October to increase the limit for public gatherings to 300 people was correct.
– Of course, in hindsight, you may have waited a bit longer. It’s easy to look in the rear view mirror and say that it was not the right time to do certain things, says Anders Tegnell.
In recent weeks, most regions in Sweden have reintroduced the previous maximum limit of 50 people.
