Sweden to raise attendence limit at large events from 50 to 500

Sweden's health agency has approved a government proposal to raise the number of people allowed at public events from 50 to 500, chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said on Thursday.

As long as people were able to keep a distance of one metre from one another and seats were numbered, the number of attendees could be increased, he said.

So far, the government has been recommending people maintain a distance of at least two metres from one another to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Sweden has recorded around 84,000 coronavirus infections and 5,820 related fatalities. The daily death toll has recently decreased significantly.

Second wave

Tegnell voiced hopes that Sweden would be spared the worst effects of a second wave of infections, as the country had not seen a significant increase in newly reported cases over the last weeks.

"The situation is a bit different elsewhere in Europe," he said.