The most populous area in Sweden was suddenly blocked

One of Sweden’s most densely populated regions has declared a ‘private blockade’ amid the country’s highest recorded new infections.
Mikael Kohler, health official in Uppsala district, Sweden, said: “We have asked residents of Uppsala district to conduct a” private blockade “, as the authorities recorded the number of new infections in the area. This is the highest in the country, Euronews reported on April 14.

“Accordingly, people should only have close contact with people who live with them. If they have to meet another person, it is necessary to consider that the person may be carrying a disease”, Mr. Kohler explained further.

Dr Anders Tegnell, a Swedish epidemiologist, said: “The measures taken against corona virus are completely consistent with the epidemiological situation in Uppsala district. This provision is not much different from the Swedish government’s message that requires people to practice social distance and limit communication as much as possible ”.

Swedish residents passed by a bulletin board that read: “Danger is not over. Keep your distance,” in the center of Uppsala district. Photo: AFP.

Preventive measures have been introduced in the face of increasing recognition of new Covid-19 infections.

Uppsala County found an average of 908 cases per 100,000 people in the past week, higher than the average rate of new infections across Sweden with 772 cases. “Therefore, the new rules are absolutely necessary,” said Mikael Kohler.

Uppsala District has 2 universities, Uppsala University and Swedish Agricultural Science University. “A lot of young people come and come here. This is the main reason leading to the number of new infections continuing to increase here ”, Mr. Kohler added.

Some argue that the Swedish government has been “very passive” compared to neighboring countries in fighting the epidemic since it became a worldwide pandemic.

Sweden has strengthened quarantine measures since the second outbreak in October 2020, including limiting the concentration of people in stores and in public places. However, Sweden does not require complete isolation like Great Britain or France.

On April 13, Sweden recorded an average of 587 new infections per 1 million people in the last 7 days, mainly infected with virus variants from the UK. This figure far exceeds that of other countries in Europe, including France and Poland.