Sweden to reintroduce many COVID-19 measures as cases rise

Sweden will reintroduce a raft of measures to curb rising COVID-19 infections, urging renewed social distancing and the use of masks in public transportation, the government said on Tuesday.

“We see an increased spread of infection, but still from low levels,” Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference. “We need to work together so that the situation doesn’t get worse, so today we are presenting further precautionary measures.”

Cases in Sweden have started to rise in recent weeks after relatively calm autumn. Hospitalizations and the number of patients requiring intensive care are still among the lowest per capita in Europe but have also started to creep up.