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On Monday, the government presented the revised proposal for the new temporary pandemic law. It is expected to come into effect now on Sunday, January 10, if the Riksdag passes the bill on Friday.
The law aims to give the government and authorities the opportunity to impose restrictions on activities and venues to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. These can be, for example, public gatherings and public events, places for leisure or cultural activities that are open to the public, commercial places such as shopping and commercial centers, public transport and air traffic, but also places for private meetings. A concrete example is that the law would provide the opportunity to prohibit the stay in a park or bathing area if there is a risk of congestion.
After the government on vacation introduced its new bill, experts from the Legal Council opposed various parties, including how long the government would have time to submit a partial bill to the Riksdag. The government has now changed the time from two weeks to one week.
Several opposition parties have demanded that the new legal text clarify the type of financial compensation that can be given to an activity that is affected by the new restrictions. The Government has supplemented the bill with a letter indicating that the Government will report on the financial consequences that the various measures may have for companies, employees or other actors. But no compensation is promised in the text.
Various parts are now very critical that the government does not go any further. Among other things, the government’s budget partner, the Center Party, which, however, emphasizes that the law should not be seen as part of the January agreement. Party vice president Anders W Jonsson tells DN that the Center Party will take a position on how to act in the Riksdag.
It regrets that the government has not chosen to regulate the payment of financial compensation. Now we will study in detail what the government is proposing, “he wrote in a comment to DN.
The Chairperson of the Social Affairs Committee, Acko Ankarberg, (KD), believes that the government has met in part with the opposition regarding compensation, but is not satisfied.
– It’s good but not enough. It should be noted that the main rule should be that the activities that are affected by a regulation should receive financial compensation. If a company closes completely, they should receive full compensation, he says.
Liberals accuse the government of having missed Swedish businessmen.
– The new law is necessary in order to reduce the spread of infections and protect health and life. At the same time, employers must be assured that the state will protect their life’s work and employees if great sacrifices are required of them. At the time, the government’s proposal is too insecure, says Lina Nordquist, a health policy spokeswoman for the Liberals.
Several opposition parties agree that the government has acted too slowly.
– We believe that the government’s handling of the drafting of the new legislation is very deficient. The short preparation time has made it difficult for the opposition to become familiar with and deepen the consequences of the proposed legislation for society as a whole, says Karin Rågsjö, (V), member of the Social Affairs Commission.
The Legal Council has also criticized the government for taking too long the legislative process.
As early as April, the Riksdag implemented temporary legislation in order to take new measures against the spread of the infection. The law expired on June 30. According to the Legal Council, the government must have been clear even then that there might be a need for new regulations as soon as possible to deal with a possible increase in the spread of the infection during the fall. The Legal Council stresses that urgent legislative work, such as the one currently being carried out, can be avoided to some extent through “good foresight and preparation”.
Now the parties in the social committee little more than 24 hours to write down his objections to the proposal before the vote in the House on Friday. The committee also wants to allow the Riksdag Constitution Committee to comment.
The new temporary law is proposed to apply until the end of September 2021.
DN has applied for the post of Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren, (S).
