Sweden – Covid-19: Lack of public transport and police

January 19, 2022

Robert

The explosive rise in new coronavirus cases in Sweden has affected critical services, as many police officers and bus drivers have been diagnosed positively.

“About 3,000 police officers, 10% of Sweden’s total force, are ill or in quarantine today, Wednesday, Radio Sweden reported. In fact, some small police stations were forced to close. “The situation is marginal in some areas,” Patrick Danielson, a spokesman for the Swedish Police Association for Health and Safety, told the radio station today.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Operations Center told Swedish television that the police force was ready to relocate staff and re-prioritize to manage the situation.

Swedish television also reported that about 10% of bus drivers in the western province of Vermland were ill. As a result, 40-50 itineraries per day are canceled. “The situation is serious,” said Michael Bergman, who is in charge of services in the area.

The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is reflected in the statistics released today by the Swedish Public Health Service. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country exceeded 1.7 million, an increase of almost 200,000 compared to last week. The last 24 hours recorded the highest number of new infections, about 43,000 in a country with a population of 10.4 million.

The number of citizens being tested for Covid-19 is also showing a dramatic increase. Some administrative districts of the country have reached the limits of their possibilities, regarding the conduct of audits, and now they urge the citizens to take tests only if it is absolutely necessary.

On Tuesday, several health professionals, including the president of the Stockholm Medical Association, said the tests had become “irrelevant”, as almost everyone with symptoms had become infected and needed test results for up to a week.