Sweden keeps COVID-19 curbs in place as infections exceed 800,000

STOCKHOLM, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 restrictions currently in force in Sweden will not be lifted as early as planned, the government said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

The announcement came as the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections surpassed 800,000 in the country.

In two regions of Sweden, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants exceeded 1,000 in the past 14 days, according to the health authorities.

"The spread of infection is at too high a level and unfortunately increases in many parts of the country," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said. "The pressure on the health care system is great and therefore it is important that we persevere for a little while longer."

He urged citizens to follow the recommendations to prevent the spread of infection.

The restrictions on restaurants, bars, gyms and shops have been prolonged until further notice. According to the Public Health Agency, these could be lifted on May 3 at the earliest. For now, restaurants other than takeaways must close no later than 8:30 p.m., and the number of guests is limited to four per table. For restaurants in shopping malls, the limit is one guest per table.

Shops are not allowed to let in more than 500 customers, and they must also have at least ten square meters each at their disposal.

"Today's message is that the restrictions must remain for a while longer due to the worsening infection situation," Minister for Health and Social Affairs Lena Hallengren said.

Since the pandemic started, 804,886 individuals have been confirmed infected with COVID-19 in Sweden, a sharp increase of 8,441 new cases since Tuesday, according to statistics released by the Public Health Agency on Wednesday.

The number of deaths increased by 35 over 24 hours to 13,465.

By Wednesday, more than 1.12 million individuals in Sweden, or 13.7 percent of the population, had received the first vaccine dose, and 486,038 had received two doses.