Sweden scraps demand for negative COVID-19 test to enter country

FILE PHOTO: Travelers walk at Arlanda International Airport following the coronavirus concern and canceled flights, in Stockholm, Sweden, March 12, 2020. TT News Agency/Fredrik Sandberg via REUTERS

STOCKHOLM — Travelers to Sweden will no longer be required to show a negative COVID-19 test before entering the country, the government said Tuesday.

Sweden introduced rules for a recent negative COVID test on December 28, 2021, in a bid to slow the spread of the more contagious Omicron variant. Since then, Sweden has repeatedly set new daily case records with Omicron now the totally dominant variant.

“Travelers are no longer considered to pose a particular risk of affecting the spread of Omicron in Sweden,” the government said in a statement.

Sweden has recorded more than 20,000 new daily cases over the past few days, roughly double the previous record from earlier waves. The number of cases has put a strain on healthcare services but not to the same extent as before the vaccine rollout.

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