Sweden Bans Alcohol Sales At Bars, Nightclubs & Bars After 10 PM

PM Shuts These Businesses Due To COVID-19 Concerns 

Sweden, once the model for coronavirus control policies, is “facing a  situation that risks becoming pitch-black” according to Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

And that means he is doing what leaders in every other affected country the world is doing: coming down on bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

He has has presented a law proposal that would ban alcohol sales after 10 p.m.

Sweden’s Minister for Health and Social Affairs Lena Hallengren said all places with a permission to serve alcohol must close 30 minutes after 10 p.m., He described these places as “risk environments.” The ban would take affect Nov. 20.

At the same time, Lofven has kept parts of the country open, while focusing on the “risk environments,” which he considers to be restaurants, bars and nightclubs , as well as nursing homes.

Sweden also is limiting tourism. The Visit Sweden website, which is the official tourism board site, has this message on its homepage: “Welcome to Sweden – when the time is right.” It also has this message posed about traveling to Sweden:

“There is a temporary entry ban in place for non-essential travels to the EU via Sweden until 22 December, but travel from another EU country, a country part of the EEA, UK and Switzerland to Sweden is possible.”

Sweden, with a population of 10 million, has reported 166,707 cases and 6,082 deaths since the start of the pandemic.