STOCKHOLM, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- A negative test for COVID-19 no older than 48 hours should be required for all foreign citizens entering Sweden to stop new strains of the coronavirus from entering the country, said the Public Health Agency of Sweden on Friday.
Swedish citizens who do not have a recent negative test should be required to test themselves upon arrival, according to the agency's recommended requirements.
The new measures are necessary, even though a ban on entry already exists for most countries outside the EU, including the United Kingdom. Travelers from Denmark and Norway are also banned from entry, it said.
"The situation is changing extremely fast in the outside world and different virus variants can be found in more countries than those we are aware of. Therefore, the Public Health Agency of Sweden believes it is important to get the new restrictions in place," the agency's Director-General Johan Carlson said on Friday.
The agency also recommends that all arriving travelers isolate for a week and test themselves five days after arrival. Those living in the same household should also subject themselves to quarantine.
By Friday, 566,957 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in Sweden since the pandemic started. In the last 24 hours, 2,400 new cases were recorded. The number of deaths increased by 71 to 11,591. The number of patients in intensive care had decreased from 262 to 250. Enditem
