Swedish News, March 26:

66 deceased in Sweden. More elderly people fall ill in Stockholm. Not relevant with quarantine. No May celebration in the streets. 

  • 66 deceased in Sweden
    There are now, on March 26, 2,806 detected corona cases in Sweden. 66 people have died, an increase of 24 since yesterday. 178 patients have received intensive care to date. “At this stage the figures will go up pretty fast,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said at a Public Health Authority press conference. He also says that there needs to be a big information effort to reach the elderly. “We see signals that the recommendations we made have not always been followed. We can't stop trying to protect our elderly, that's the most important thing we can do now,” according to Tegnell.

  • More elderly people fall ill in Stockholm
    More elderly people in Stockholm are now among those who become ill with covid-19, according to Björn Eriksson, the director of health in the region. Yesterday the number of deaths increased sharply: 18 died in one day.

  • Not relevant with quarantine
    It is not currently relevant to put the big cities with the most spread of the virus in quarantine, state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell states during the press conference. In Stockholm, the number of infected people has increased significantly in recent days. “In Sweden we have the most spread in the big cities but see infected in all parts of the country. If you make an overall assessment of the outcome of shutting down the big cities, the effect would be very questionable,” Tegnell says.

  • No May celebration in the streets
    May 1st will be celebrated without demonstrations, public speeches and physical meetings this year. The idea is to organize it digitally throughout the country.

  • Almost everyone on leave at Scania
    Truck manufacturer Scania will let go of almost all employees in Sweden, according to a report on Swedish radio. This involves almost 19,000 people at the head office and the Swedish factories. Last week, Scania announced that 9,000 employees would be let go, but the number will be higher. Workers at Scandia just as in similar cases at Volvo Trucks or Volvo Cars are not laid off. The Swedish word for the action is “permittering,” which in essence means that workers no longer need to show up at work, it’s a short term leave, “korttidspermittering”. A recent Swedish proposal for short-term leave, suggests that the state will absorb three-quarters of the salary when employers are forced to reducing the work force or staff working hours. The effect of the proposal would be that the employer's salary costs can be halved, while the employee receives over 90 percent of the salary.

  • Infection risk closes cabins in the mountains
    The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) closes its 44 mountain cabins to comply with the authorities' rules regarding the virus. Eight of STF's full service mountain stations in for instance Grövelsjön, Saltoluokta, Abisko, Kebnekaise and Blåhammar will, however, be kept open.

  • Increased threat from the extreme right
    The spread of right-wing ideology is on the increase. The increase could inspire individuals to assaults or serious violent crimes, according to the annual report by the Swedish Security Police, SÄPO. Right-wing terrorist acts have taken place in New Zealand, Germany, Norway and the U.S., says the head of SÄPO Klas Friberg. "The development is supported by a foreign power that sees benefits from increased polarization in society," he writes. He is concerned that organizations linked to "violent extremist groups" will receive grants.