Sweden announced its plans to return to pre-covid life as the infections decrease. In its efforts to restart, the government will phase out the majority of its current pandemic support measures.
Sweden’s authorities decided to ease the health protocol and coincide the move with a lifting of most restrictions from February 8.
Since Wednesday, the support measures to companies will stay in place through February, Finance Minister Mikael Damberg told a news conference in Stockholm on Tuesday. “Now is the time for normality and not least a more normal budget process,” the official added.
In fact, Sweden was an outlier at the start of the pandemic due to its relatively hands-off COVID-19 strategy. With the most recent move to lift the most restrictions, the biggest Nordic nation has joined a growing list of European countries to relax rules under pressure from a pandemic-weary public. Last week, Denmark did the same.
Cushioned by low public debt levels and extensive welfare spending, the Swedish economy weathered the crisis as one of the most resilient among advanced nations, having already returned to its pre-pandemic growth path, according to the Finance Ministry.
According to the top financial officer, support for events won’t be removed until June. However, Damberg said that it is important not to withdraw the aid too early, Bloomberg News reports.
