Swedish Government Seeks Extra Powers To Curb Virus

Umer Jamshaid Published April 06, 2020 | 09:10 PM

Stockholm, April 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Apr, 2020 ) :Sweden's government said Monday it will seek temporary extra powers to combat the coronavirus outbreak, drawing criticism from the opposition.

Sweden has not imposed extraordinary lockdown orders seen elsewhere in Europe to stem the spread of the virus, instead calling for citizens to take responsibility to follow social distancing guidelines.

The government has also banned gatherings of more than 50 people and barred visits to nursing homes.

But on Monday it proposed a bill to give it additional powers -- that could see it limit public gatherings or close businesses -- without the approval of parliament.

"Sweden and the world is in a serious situation due to the coronavirus," Health Minister Lena Hallengren said in a statement.

"We see a need to be able to act quickly if the situation calls for it, it is ultimately about protecting human lives." The bill still needs to be approved by parliament before it can come into force.

The new bill would only grant the extra powers for a period of three months, but opposition politicians voiced concerns over the proposed law.

The leader of the conservative Moderate Party, Ulf Kristersson, said the government has not faced delays in rolling out existing measures to curb the outbreak.

He added that the proposal lacked clear definitions of how the added powers could be used and would circumvent the parliament without giving the legislative body the power to overrule.

Kristersson acknowledged the need for speedy decisions in a time of crisis, but said that also measures need to have "democratic legitimacy".

Sweden, whose softer measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus have drawn criticism at home and abroad, on Monday reported 7,206 cases of COVID-19 and 477 deaths -- so far relatively lower than many of its European neighbours.

The government last week rejected claims that the country's response was one of inaction, saying "it's not business as usual in Sweden."