STOCKHOLM, December 29 (Xinhua) – Almost 3,000 people have been deported at the Swedish-Danish border during the first week after Sweden introduced an entry ban from neighboring Denmark, Swedish TV reported on Tuesday.
Most were stopped when they tried to cross the Öresund Bridge by car from Denmark to southern Sweden and long queues have formed on the bridge, where so far more than 200 people have been commissioned to return to Denmark per day. Normally, the border police expel about 100 people per week, according to the report.
“We urge travelers not to try to enter Sweden unless they absolutely have to. The border police are very busy and anyone who tries to cross risks waiting in a long queue to be told that they must return,” Anders Wiberg, head of the police unit in southern Sweden who is responsible for handling the entry ban, told Swedish TV.
As of December 22, Sweden has banned travelers from both Denmark and the United Kingdom after the countries reported cases of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus that was reported in the United Kingdom.
The entry ban for travelers from Denmark and the United Kingdom will apply until at least 21 January, but Swedish citizens are exempt, as are those who live or work in Sweden and those who are involved in the transport of goods.
Sweden confirmed 205 COVID-19-related deaths between December 23 and December 29, which brought the total number of deaths to 8,484.
A total of 338 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the ICU in Sweden during the period.
Source: sn.dk