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Of: Josefine Karlsson, Amanda Hällsten
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On Friday, the Prime Minister presented new and stricter guidelines.
The next day, 250 people gathered in a party hall in Södertälje.
– When we got there, 50 people stood up and danced hand in hand. It’s incredibly inappropriate, says Jonas Packale of the Södertälje Police
The Government and the Public Health Agency are clear in their call: “Do not party.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) announced the new stricter restrictions to combat the spread of the infection.
The next day, a big event was organized in a party hall in Södertälje. According to the police, up to 250 people participated, including staff.
– When we got there, 50 people stood up and danced hand in hand. That is very disturbing. Especially since our Prime Minister on Friday emphasized the importance of taking responsibility. Still, they choose to ignore this, says Jonas Packalem, police coordinator in Södertälje.
The police lack powers
Södertälje has one of the most widespread infections in the country. The parties have been recurring during the pandemic and still occur. The police and the municipality carry out joint inspections at various events.
But for the police, parties are a legal problem.
– We have no powers, we can only urge them to stop. To intervene, we must be able to lean towards the Law of Public Order or the Law of Alcohol. In this case, it was a non-alcoholic party, which means we can’t do anything. This is a major problem in the current pandemic, he says.
Instead, the police try to dialogue and speak with the party participants.
– We try to tell the organizers and guests the inappropriateness of bringing so many together and reporting on the strong deterrence that prevails by politicians and authorities, says Jonas Packalem.
More party bans
Rickard Sundbom, municipal director of the municipality of Södertälje, takes the incident seriously.
– This comes down to personal liability on the part of the organizer, business owner or party participant. We do everything we can from the government side. We put additional resources to control something that should not be necessary to control. Resources that could have been invested in, for example, the school, he says.
To prevent similar events from being organized, the Södertälje municipality has decided to prohibit various private owners from renting premises if parties and the like are planned.
– It is about prohibiting dances, parties, conviviality and similar events. Three venues and organizers already have a ban, but we want more venues and organizers to be banned, says Rickard Sundbom.
The additional bans in Södertälje are based, among other things, on the congestion law, which was introduced this summer.
– This means that if you do something about dancing and mingling, you will have to pay the fine, says Rickard Sundbom.
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