Sweden extends virus restrictions; Danes likely to end them

Sweden will extend several restrictions for another two weeks while neighboring Denmark was expected to announce that it no longer considers COVID-19 as “a socially critical disease” as of next month and will remove most restrictions

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Sweden announced Wednesday that several coronavirus restrictions will be extended for another two weeks while neighboring Denmark was expected to announce that it no longer considers COVID-19 as “a socially critical disease” as of next month and will remove most restrictions.

“We have an extremely record high spread of infection,” Sweden's Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren said. “The assessment is that existing measures need to remain in place for another two weeks.”

“If the situation allows it, the restrictions will be lifted after that," she said.

Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of Sweden’s Public Health Agency, said the reasoning for extending the restrictions is that they expect a decline in cases in a couple of weeks. She said the Scandinavian country had 270,000 new infections in the past seven days and that “our assessment is that, during this period, at least half a million can fall ill per week.”