The authorities in Stockholm and other Swedish regions are abandoning initial skepticism and are now advising the population to wear a mask, at a time when the country is facing a third wave of coronavirus infections (especially in the capital).
This development marks a reversal in the doubts that previously existed in the country about masks and coincide with an increase in transmission rates. On Tuesday, authorities in the country’s capital recommended wearing masks on public transport, at all times and not just during rush hours. In closed spaces, such as stores and offices, the use of masks was also recommended.
The number of covid-19 cases increased 27% in the last week in Stockholm, a city that not long ago saw hospital intensive care units on the verge of collapse.
The resistance of the virus led the government to reevaluate its strategy of not moving forward with restrictions, and last month the Swedish parliament approved a set of measures to halt the spread of the virus.
Sweden’s position on the masks has always been controversial, with state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell repeatedly questioning its effectiveness. But after a year of intense debate, masks are now used by a large part of the population.
“We have to increase the use of masks a lot,” said infiologist Maria Rotzen Ostlund. “However, they are just a complement, the most important is social distance”.
Swedish health authorities, since the beginning of the pandemic, have questioned science in the use of masks, considering that they generated a false sense of security that could lead to greater complacency in the rules of social distance. But this idea was the target of strong criticism, including from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which published a report to support the idea that wearing a mask was an effective means of reducing the spread of the virus.
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