Swedish budget adds $5 bn to measures to fight Covid, boost recovery

People walk past market stalls at Hotorget square, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in central Stockholm, Sweden

* 45 bn SEK in budget to fight COVID, boost recovery * Measures during pandemic total more than 400 bn SEK * Sweden's public finances strong despite spending Sweden's centre-left government said it would boost spending by 45 billion crowns ($5.31 billion)in its spring budget to fight the ongoing pandemic and support a shift to a fossil free economy as the crisis eases. Sweden has avoided strict lockdowns periodically adopted across much of the continent and by Sweden's Nordic neighbours, helping soften the blow to the economy, which shrank a modest 2.8% last year. But the pandemic has nevertheless forced the government into extraordinary measures to support companies and individuals, as well as meeting soaring healthcare costs.