Sweden and Denmark lift all COVID-19 entry restrictions

Sweden and Denmark are the latest countries to lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions at their borders for international travellers.

Sweden’s move to remove its ban on non-essential travel from third countries kicked in Friday (April 1).

The decision to not extend the entry ban on non-EU/EEA travellers was announced by the Swedish Ministry of Justice on March 25.

“This also means that the requirement to present vaccination and test certificates when entering Sweden will be removed,” a government press release noted.

More European countries have begun to lift COVID-19 entry restrictions, and the Public Health Agency of Sweden says such restrictions are “no longer a proportionate infection control measure.”

Also, Sweden now no longer classifies COVID-19 “as a threat to public health and a danger to society.”

“Although the pandemic is not over, it has entered a new phase thanks to high vaccination coverage combined with the lower risk of serious illness posed by the currently dominant virus variant, omicron,” the Swedish government stated.

READ MORE: A “landmark moment”: U.K. to end all remaining COVID travel rules

The country’s Minister for Justice and Home Affairs Morgan Johansson noted how Sweden had already lifted its entry ban within the EU.

“Now the Government has decided not to extend the entry ban from third countries. This will make it much easier for everyone who has been prevented from coming to Sweden in recent years due to the pandemic,” Johansson stated.

“Emergency brake” still possible in Denmark 

Denmark, too, also lifted the last of its COVID-related travel restrictions earlier this week.

The country's entry rules have been continuously relaxed and on March 29, the last of them were removed.

Previously, non-EU/Schengen Area travellers who were not fully vaccinated, as well as those who were not recovered from COVID-19, had to present a negative test result taken within 24 hours of reaching Denmark.

All travellers, regardless of their country of origin and vaccination status, are now permitted entry to Denmark without facing any COVID-related restrictions.

But the Danish Ministry of Health noted that it will still monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and apply the so-called “emergency brake” if variants of concern arise. 

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