Swedish PM self-isolates after virus contact

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Thursday he had gone into self-isolation after a person in his “vicinity” had met with someone who had been confirmed to have Covid-19.

Lofven said in a Facebook post that he had isolated together with his wife and would be working from home and would try to get tested as soon as possible.

“It’s the only responsible thing to do in this situation,” Lofven said.

The head of government also noted that the “development was going in the wrong direction quickly.”

“More people are infected. More people are dying. It is a serious situation,” he said.

Lofven said he had not been in direct contact with someone confirmed to have the coronavirus but someone in his “vicinity” had, and even if that person had since tested negative he had decided to self-isolate on the advice of his doctor.

After seeing a heavy death toll, over 5,000 in a country of 10.3 million inhabitants, the country registered a decrease in both cases and fatalities between July and mid-October.

However since then the number of cases has soared and deaths have also started climbing in recent days.

On Wednesday, the country reported 28 new deaths linked to Covid-19, and the total is expected to cross the 6,000 mark on Thursday.

In neighbouring Denmark, which is also facing a resurgence in cases, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is also in self-isolation after the justice minister tested positive.

An initial test proved negative, but her cabinet said Wednesday evening that she would remain in isolation pending a second test.