Swedish govt bans public gatherings of more than 50 people

The Swedish government has decided to ban all public gatherings of more than 50 people to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“Our resilience is being tested. The aim of the government is of course to limit the spread as much as possible,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told reporters on Friday.

The new rule will come into force on Sunday and those who break it risk fines or up to 6 months in prison, Reuters reports. The government had previously banned all gatherings of more than 500 people.

Sweden is largely still open for business. Neighboring Denmark has restricted public assembly to 10 or fewer people and ordered the closure of schools, universities, day care centers, restaurants, cafes, libraries and gyms.