A demonstration against Sweden's Covid-19 restrictions and vaccine plans took place this weekend.
Some 200 people participated in the unauthorised demonstration at Gustav Adolf Square in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city, the newspaper Göteborgs-Posten reported.
The protesters sported signs bearing slogans such as “Stop compulsory vaccine”, among others.
According to police spokesman Hans-Jörgen Ostler, the police only intervened against protesters who disrupted public order.
“As far as we know now, the illicit demonstration was about protesting against the pandemic law and we have drawn up a report of a violation of the law of order”, Ostler told Göteborgs-Posten.
Weakest restrictions. An today in my city, a 200 person protest AGAINST those restrictions and the vaccine.
— Jeremy Vyska #WearAMask #bytStrategiNu 🇸🇪 (@JeremyVyska) December 5, 2020
Hard not to question why I moved here. That's madness.https://t.co/aUYA2hCfpj
Recently, Sweden appeared to have modified its lassez-faire approach to battling the pandemic and introduced its harshest restriction to date, banning public gatherings of more than eight people. Even during the spring, when Sweden's neighbours all introduced lockdowns, gatherings of 50 people were allowed. Otherwise, though, most of Sweden's guidelines on international and domestic travel, mask use and distancing remain mostly advisory.
The Swedish government presented its vaccine strategy against Covid-19 as early as May 2020. The purpose of the strategy is to ensure that the country has quick access to safe and effective vaccines and that it will be able to vaccinate effectively as needed. To guarantee this goal, Sweden has entered into joint EU agreements on vaccines from AstraZeneca, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV (Johnson & Johnson), Pfizer / BioNTech, CureVac and, most recently, Moderna.
570,000 Swedes will be given priority when the Covid-19 finally arrives in Sweden, including the elderly, elderly care staff and their relatives. The second stage will encompass other risk groups, an additional 2.1 million Swedes.
“The goal of Covid vaccination at this stage is primarily to protect the most vulnerable. There won't be doses at once to cover the needs of the entire country. That is why we must prioritise”, Johan Carlson, Director General of the Swedish Public Health Agency, told Göteborgs Posten.
So far, Sweden, a nation of over 10 million, has seen over 279,000 cases of Covid, with over 7,000 lethal outcomes.
