Sweden Officially Welcomes American Tourists
Since March 2020, Sweden had officially banned all non-essential travel from outside the EU and EEA nations. In February 2021, the travel ban included the need to present a negative COVID-19 test on arrival. At that stage, travel had to be proved to be essential and not for leisure and will still apply to most countries outside the EU until August 31, 2021. However, Americans are now lucky, as they are exempt from this.
US travelers welcome from June 30
US-based travelers, including those traveling via Serbia, North Macedonia, Taiwan, Macao, Hong Kong, Lebanon and Albania are now allowed to enter Sweden.
Visitors from other countries are permitted to travel to Sweden, including other Scandinavian countries, such as Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway with no problems. However, those traveling from other EU countries will be required to produce proof of full vaccination, or recovery from contracting COVID-19.
US citizens are allowed to enter Sweden, but must produce just one of the following:
- A vaccination certificate
- A negative test certificate
- Documented evidence of recovery from COVID-19
However, travelers who meet the following criteria do not need to produce a certificate:
- People under the age of 18
- Any people who live in Sweden
- People with very imperative family reasons
- Those who are traveling on humanitarian grounds
It is interesting to note that it is currently easier for US citizens to enter Sweden than it is for many European citizens. While EU citizens must produce proof of vaccination, US citizens have a variety of options to choose from.
Sweden and COVID-19
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sweden became famous for the way the country handled the situation. While the country did close its borders early on, there was no lockdown enforced and Sweden chose to pursue the herd immunity route, rather than practicing social distancing.
However, Sweden has reported more than 1 million cases of COVID-19 and has suffered 14,592 deaths and more than a million recoveries since the start of the pandemic. Cases did start to increase at the start of 2021, but have since flatlined. At present, there are around 14,000 active cases of COVID-19 in Sweden, which is down from around 170,000 active cases in April this year.
As the country is now averaging around 500 cases of COVID-19 daily – a drop of around 90 percent in recent months – this makes Sweden a relatively COVID-free country right now and likely one of the safest options in Europe this summer.
Europe opened to Americans
While Europe did reopen to American tourists this summer, the Delta variant is starting to spread on the continent, casting doubt on safe travel. For example, Portugal has recently reintroduced a night-time curfew, while other EU countries are considering the ban of citizens from locations with high rates of the Delta variant, including the UK.
However, it should be noted that despite Sweden’s low incidence of COVID-19, and high vaccination numbers, the CDC still recommends not visiting the country.
What are the current restrictions in Sweden?
While Sweden refused to lockdown and did not implement social distancing laws at the start of the pandemic, they have started implementing some restrictions on local residents and travelers over the past 12 months.
From July 1, the following are the restrictions that will be in place in Sweden:
- Groups of maximum 8 people per table at restaurants
- Maximum of 50 people at private parties
- Sweden has opened markets and amusement parks, but each business sets its own restrictions
- The country recommends wearing face masks on public transport, but it is not a legal mandate
From September, Sweden will consider removing all COVID-19 restrictions and returning to normal life.
Before booking your vacation, check the latest status at the US Embassy in Sweden website.
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