Sweden declares pandemic over, despite warnings from scientists

Sweden scrapped almost all of its few pandemic restrictions on Wednesday and stopped most testing for Covid-19.

The moves came even as the pressure on the healthcare systems remained high and some scientists begged for more patience in fighting the disease.

Sweden's government, which throughout the pandemic has opted against lockdowns in favor of a voluntary approach, announced last week it would scrap the remaining restrictions — effectively declaring the pandemic over — as vaccines and the less severe omicron variant have cushioned severe cases and deaths.

"As we know this pandemic, I would say it's over," Minister of Health Lena Hallengren told daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. "It's not over, but as we know it in terms of quick changes and restrictions it is," she said, adding that Covid would no longer be classified as a danger to society.

As of Wednesday, bars and restaurants will be allowed to stay open after 11 p.m. again, and with no limits on the number of guests. Attendance limits for larger indoor venues were also lifted, as was the use of vaccine passes.

Sweden follows Scandinavian neighbor Denmark in removing most Covid restrictions.

Denmark last week became one of the first European Union countries to remove most restrictions, saying that Covid was no longer considered "a socially critical disease."