STOCKHOLM: Starting from December 1, people across Sweden will be required to show proof of vaccination to attend large indoor events with 100 people or more as part of the government's efforts to stop the further spread of Covid-19.
"The increasing spread of infections in Europe is the reason why the Public Health Agency now wants to introduce the use of vaccination certificates," the country's Public Health Agency Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell said at a press conference.
Event organisers can opt out from this rule but will then have to introduce other measures to ensure that unvaccinated individuals are not infected.
Exactly what this entails has not yet been decided, but the new rules could, for example, oblige people to keep a distance from one another or limit their number in a given area.
At a joint press conference, Minister for Health and Social Affairs Lena Hallengren said she expected most event organisers to require proof of vaccination.
The Public Health Agency has also reintroduced the recommendation that all those with symptoms should get tested.
As of November 1, tests are recommended for unvaccinated individuals only.
Sweden's overall Covid-19 caseload and death toll stood at 1,186,387 and 15,075, respectively, as of Thursday.
A total of 7.29 million individuals, or 85.3 per cent of the population aged 16 and over, have received at least one vaccine dose, while 81.7 per cent have been fully vaccinated.