STOCKHOLM (AFP) - Sweden on Tuesday (April 7) reported another 114 deaths from the new coronavirus, bringing the total to 591 in a country that has adopted a softer approach to containing the spread of the disease.

Sweden's Public Health Agency said it had recorded a total of 7,693 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country of around 10 million people.

It reported 114 new deaths on Tuesday, an uptick from preceding daily tolls, but cautioned that some of the fatalities occurred in previous days.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said on Tuesday the country has been averaging an average of "a little over 40" deaths a day.

He added that Sweden saw a slight decrease in the number of daily new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus over the last few days, but said it was to early to say whether numbers had peaked.

Sweden has not imposed extraordinary lockdown orders seen elsewhere in Europe to stem the spread of the virus, instead calling for citizens to take responsibility to follow social distancing guidelines.

The government has also banned gatherings of more than 50 people and barred visits to nursing homes.

The Nordic country’s softer approach has drawn criticism and curiosity abroad and has been the subject of fierce debate domestically.

Sweden’s government has rejected accusations it was passive in the fight to curb the virus. "It’s not business as usual in Sweden," Health Minister Lena Hallengren told reporters last week.

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