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He conceded, however, that if infection rates do start to soar and Sweden ends up in a similar situation to that Italy or Spain has faced, he would face criticism.

I would feel a lot worse taking a lot of decisions I don't believe in and for things to go wrong

“Of course, I and the agency will be to blame, for sure. I’m quite aware of that,” he said. “But I would feel a lot worse taking a lot of decisions I don’t believe in and for things to go wrong, than to take decisions I and the agency very much do believe in and for things not to work out.”

Unlike Denmark and Norway, which both shut schools and kindergartens at the start of last week, and where, in Denmark at least, any gathering of more than 10 people is banned, much of life in Sweden remains unchanged.

The government has only banned events with more than 500 participants, issuing a recommendation that those who visit pubs and restaurants should be seated at a table rather than mingling at a bar, and that people taking public transport should “think carefully” about whether it’s necessary.

Those who fall ill with coronavirus-like symptoms need only wait two days after they feel well again before returning to work or school.

The advice has not changed despite a surge of cases in Stockholm in recent days that led the city’s health chief Bjorn Eriksson to call for any help he could get handling the influx of coronavirus patients.

“The storm is here,” Eriksson said, announcing that 18 patients had died in the region in the past 24 hours, doubling its total death tally in a single day. “We don’t know how far we’ve come yet in this storm, but it’s going to get worse.”