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Sweden’s well being authorities reiterated their skepticism towards face masks on Thursday, regardless of proof that the is spreading quickly by the nation and placing extra individuals into intensive care.
“We don’t see that we are at a point where we might recommend general use of face masks on public transport,” Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the Public Health Agency in Stockholm, advised reporters on Thursday. “Face masks shouldn’t be used as an excuse not to keep a distance.”
The coverage has drawn sharp criticism from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry and Economics. It printed a press release earlier within the day in protection of masks.
“In order to reduce transmission quickly, we should use all tools at our disposal, and that includes face masks and improved ventilation,” Staffan Normark, microbiology professor and chairman of the Academy’s knowledgeable group, stated in a press release.
Sweden, which has a a lot larger demise charge than different Nordic nations, has up to now prevented a lockdown. The nation has as a substitute relied on voluntary measures in an effort to get Swedes to remain far sufficient aside to keep away from infecting one another.
But the newest an infection charges present the technique is faltering, and Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has stepped up his rhetoric to induce individuals to do extra, or face a “really dark” winter with the virus.
On Thursday, the variety of coronavirus cases in Sweden soared above 200,000, and 6,340 have died after being contaminated with the virus. The variety of Covid-infected individuals in intensive care beds doubled to 182 over the previous fortnight.
Earlier this week, Lofven took what he known as the “unprecedented” step of banning public gatherings of greater than eight individuals. From Friday, no gross sales of alcohol will probably be permitted after 10 p.m.
The Academy says it helps the World Health Organization’s recommendation to put on masks, preserve rooms properly ventilated and preserve a bodily distance from different individuals.
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