With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the beginning of the COVID-19 endemic, all domestic COVID-19 restrictions ended in Sweden on Wednesday.
From Feb. 9, face masks will no longer be required on public transportation, there will be no capacity limits, proof of vaccination will no longer be required to eat at restaurants, and fellow European tourists can travel freely to Sweden without a test or vaccination.
The pandemic isn’t over, but it’s moving into a new phase, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Feb. 3.
There has been a significant easing of local restrictions as the country records high infection rates with even higher vaccination rates. Despite the fact that more than 73% of Swedes are fully vaccinated, WHO data for the week of Feb. 7 indicates that nearly 40,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported.
In addition, Sweden will no longer offer free mass COVID-19 testing to the general public and will instead reserve the tests for specific medical workers who exhibit symptoms.
The events of this week make Sweden yet another country to decide to transition to life as we know it in the face of an endemic, including several in the European Union and Australia as well.
In the meantime, however, travelers from outside the EU, including Americans, cannot enter Sweden until March 31.
