The government of Sweden has announced that all restrictions related to COVID-19 will soon be lifted according to a report from Schengen Visa. This new policy comes after research has shown that the Omicron variant is highly unlikely to lead to serious illness, making health authorities far less concerned about hospital overcrowding.
“The phasing out of measures in response to COVID-19 will begin on February 9, 2022. As of that date, measures such as the participant limit for public gatherings and events and the possibility to demand vaccination certificates upon entry will be removed,” the statement of the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs reads.
February 9 will mark the first phase of lifting COVID-19 restrictions. In this phase, citizens and travelers alike will not have to provide vaccine info in order to enter gathering spaces such as public events, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, and public transport. These spaces will no longer have capacity limits either.
The second phase set to begin April 1 will lift the remainder of restrictions as long as another outbreak of COVID-19 doesn’t put pressure on local health care systems.
Sweden will join other European countries including Denmark and Norway that have also lifted almost all restrictions related to COVID-19. This shows strong signs that the Summer festival season in Europe will be able to continue without restriction for the first time since 2019.
