Sweden Extends Its Temporary Entry Ban Until December 22

Authorities in Sweden have decided to extend the temporary ban on entry to the European Union via Sweden until December 22, in a bid to mitigate the effects of the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, the country’s government has announced.

The entry ban was imposed on March 19 and was supposed to be effective for 30 days at first. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, such a decision has been continually extended, under the European Commission recommendations, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“The COVID-19 virus is a matter of international concern that requires cross-border cooperation and coordinated measures. Today’s decision is in line with the EU Commission and the Council of the European Union recommendation to the EU Member States,” Sweden’s government statement reads.

As yet, more than 108,900 persons have tested positive for the Coronavirus pandemic, in Sweden, while a total of 5,930 have lost their lives in their battle against the deadly virus, according to the statistics published by Worldometers.

At the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak in Europe back in spring, while a large share of countries worldwide imposed lockdowns measures as a preventive measure against the spread of the virus, authorities in Sweden opted to apply these kinds of strategies.

However, the increasing number of Coronavirus cases in Sweden has pushed the country to rethink its “no-lockdown” policy.

According to the Time magazine, the death rate per-capita, during last week, was 58.6 per 100,000 people.

Earlier this month, the country’s government lifted the advice against non-essential travel to Slovenia and Malta, after evaluating that the number of COVID-19 cases marked a decrease in both countries. The decision was announced by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However today, the same MFA extended the advice against non-essential trips to Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and Lithuania for another two weeks, until November 4, due to the high number of Coronavirus cases that are being registered for weeks now in these countries.

The Ministry also advises Swedes who decide to travel to the high-risk despite the travel warning, to be responsible and to prepare thoroughly, by being well informed about the entry rules that apply there and upon return in Sweden.