Today in Sweden: A round-up of the latest news on Friday

Couple charged over alleged corona fraud at Swedish airport

A couple from the central Swedish town of Strängnäs have been charged with using forged documents after they allegedly tried to fly from Arlanda Airport with fake documents showing their Covid-19 test results, writes Strengnäs Tidning.

The husband has pleaded guilty, but says that he does not know where the documents came from and that his wife organised getting them. The wife denies the allegations and says the couple didn’t have time to get tested via Sweden’s public healthcare system 1177 and used a private clinic. She says she did not know the documents were fake.

Swedish vocabulary: use of forged documents – brukande av falsk urkund

Swedish Health Minister to be quizzed by parliament committee

Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren is set to appear before the Swedish parliament’s Committee on the Constitution over the coronavirus pandemic today.

It comes as part of an inquiry launched by an opposition politician to investigate the Swedish pandemic strategy and crisis management, and several key figures have already been questioned, among others the heads of the Public Health Agency, National Board of Health and Welfare, and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions.

Hallberg’s colleague, Home Affairs Minister Mikael Damberg, will be questioned on Monday, and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s hearing is set to take place on April 26th.

Swedish vocabulary: parliament – riksdag

Swedes told to brace as snow and winds set to batter parts of country

Sweden’s national weather agency SMHI has issued warnings of harsh winds in southern-central parts of the country and snow in the north-east.

On Friday morning, class-one alerts (the least serious on a scale from one to three) for “very strong winds” were in place for Örebro, northern Västergötland and Östergötland, and snow alerts for eastern parts of Norrbotten and Västerbotten, and Västernorrland.

Swedish vocabulary: windy – blåsigt

Blåsigt i södra Sverige idag med hårda eller mycket hårda vindbyar på många håll i Götaland och Svealand. Vid Bohuskusten risk för stormbyar i eftermiddag. Följ varningsläget på https://t.co/DqqXnfmm8x. pic.twitter.com/YpvGsMm6Yo

— SMHI Väder (@SMHIvader) April 9, 2021

Uppsala to offer only one dose of vaccine to people who have had Covid-19

The Uppsala region has announced that people who have already had Covid-19 will be given a single dose of the vaccine, six months after infection. These rules apply to the current phase of vaccinations for now, and may be revised at a later stage.

The number of positive Covid-19 cases is on the increase in Uppsala, as is the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital and intensive care, and health officials warned people to be careful. Around 15 percent of all tests in Uppsala are coming back positive at the moment.

Uppsala officials on Thursday urged everyone in the region to:

• If you get symptoms, stay at home and get tested
• Keep at least two metres’ distance from other people, both indoors and outdoors
• Don’t meet any new contacts and don’t organise parties
• Work from home if you can
• If you have to use public transport, use a face mask

You can read more about Uppsala’s announcement HERE (in English).

Swedish vocabulary: increase – ökning

The Uppsala region has announced that people who have already had Covid-19 will be given a single dose of the vaccine, six months after infection. https://t.co/gbmdBww4zF

— The Local Sweden (@TheLocalSweden) April 8, 2021

Swedish government pushes ahead with new migration bill

The Swedish government has put forward a bill to change the country’s migration laws, including a language requirement for permanent residence.

The proposal follows the setting up of a parliamentary Migration Committee, which suggested a series of legislative changes in a 600-page report last year, as The Local wrote about at the time.

A bill is now being sent to the Council on Legislation, which is the body that checks draft bills before they can be submitted to parliament, said Justice Minister Morgan Johansson at a press conference with Equality Minister Märta Stenevi on Thursday.

You can read The Local’s report from the press conference HERE.

Swedish vocabulary: law – lag