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Sweden‘s monarch has appealed to his nation’s citizens to “stay home at Easter” amid fears the country’s relaxed approach to Covid-19 could yet lead to thousands of fatalities.
King Carl XVI Gustaf said that staying indoors would be a “small sacrifice”.
“We have to rethink, prepare ourselves for staying home,” he said in a televised address. “We might feel sad about this. But there will be more Easter holidays. After all, for most of us, this will require relatively minor sacrifices — especially if we compare this to falling seriously ill or losing a friend or member of our family.”
His appeal followed a warning from the Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven that his country, which has suffered 401 deaths so far, needs to prepare for “thousands of deaths” over the coming weeks.
Empty Europe during Coronavirus – In pictures
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The Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate is almost empty in Berlin
AP
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The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is deserted
Getty Images
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Barcelona’s cathedral, Spain
AP
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Duomo Square in Milan, Italy,
AP
5/34
Colosseum in central Rome
AFP via Getty Images
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The Autobahn 12 is completely empty shortly before the German-Polish border crossing near Frankfurt
AP
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Closed shops following an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Brussels, Belgium
Reuters
8/34
The Malagueta beach is cordoned off in Malaga, Spain
AFP via Getty Images
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Vienna, Austria
AP
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Deserted Hotel de Ville in Paris, France
Getty Images
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The highway leading to Barcelona is seen empty of cars
AP
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City of Gdansk in Poland is virtually deserted
Reuters
13/34
Ratusz Arsenal metro station visually deserted, amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
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The Royal palace in downtown Madrid, Spain
AP
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St. Peter’s Square, Vatican in Rome, Italy
Reuters
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The usually busy Larios street remains empty in Malaga
AFP via Getty Images
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A view of an empty square in Naples, Italy during a lockdown across all of the country, imposed to slow the outbreak of coronavirus, in Naples, Italy
Reuters
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Galleria Umberto in Naples, Italy
Reuters
19/34
A street is almost empty in downtown Naples
AP
20/34
An empty beach in Barcelona, Spain
AP
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Homes and an empty street are seen under partial lockdown as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus outbreak in downtown Ronda, southern Spain
Reuters
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Restaurants remain closed on a seaside promenade in Valencia in Spain
AFP via Getty Images
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A deserted Westland shopping center in Brussels
BELGA/AFP via Getty Images
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A view of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping arcade in Milan, Italy
AP
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An empty street in the Porta Nuova district in Milan, Itlay
Reuters
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An almost empty Roemerberg square, the main tourist spot in Frankfurt, Germany
AP
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An empty Via Condotti street in Rome, Italy
Reuters
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Piazza Trilussa in Rome, Italy
Reuters
29/34
The Louvre Museum
Getty Images
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Musee du Louvre in Paris is closed to the public
AFP via Getty Images
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The Eiffel Tower is seen next to a board that reads: “In the context of the COVID-19 the Eiffel Tower closes
Reuters
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An empty Disneyland Paris
PA
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Old Town area visually deserted, amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
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Old Town area is visually deserted, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
1/34
The Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate is almost empty in Berlin
AP
2/34
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is deserted
Getty Images
3/34
Barcelona’s cathedral, Spain
AP
4/34
Duomo Square in Milan, Italy,
AP
5/34
Colosseum in central Rome
AFP via Getty Images
6/34
The Autobahn 12 is completely empty shortly before the German-Polish border crossing near Frankfurt
AP
7/34
Closed shops following an outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Brussels, Belgium
Reuters
8/34
The Malagueta beach is cordoned off in Malaga, Spain
AFP via Getty Images
9/34
Vienna, Austria
AP
10/34
Deserted Hotel de Ville in Paris, France
Getty Images
11/34
The highway leading to Barcelona is seen empty of cars
AP
12/34
City of Gdansk in Poland is virtually deserted
Reuters
13/34
Ratusz Arsenal metro station visually deserted, amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
14/34
The Royal palace in downtown Madrid, Spain
AP
15/34
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican in Rome, Italy
Reuters
16/34
The usually busy Larios street remains empty in Malaga
AFP via Getty Images
17/34
A view of an empty square in Naples, Italy during a lockdown across all of the country, imposed to slow the outbreak of coronavirus, in Naples, Italy
Reuters
18/34
Galleria Umberto in Naples, Italy
Reuters
19/34
A street is almost empty in downtown Naples
AP
20/34
An empty beach in Barcelona, Spain
AP
21/34
Homes and an empty street are seen under partial lockdown as part of a 15-day state of emergency to combat the coronavirus outbreak in downtown Ronda, southern Spain
Reuters
22/34
Restaurants remain closed on a seaside promenade in Valencia in Spain
AFP via Getty Images
23/34
A deserted Westland shopping center in Brussels
BELGA/AFP via Getty Images
24/34
A view of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele shopping arcade in Milan, Italy
AP
25/34
An empty street in the Porta Nuova district in Milan, Itlay
Reuters
26/34
An almost empty Roemerberg square, the main tourist spot in Frankfurt, Germany
AP
27/34
An empty Via Condotti street in Rome, Italy
Reuters
28/34
Piazza Trilussa in Rome, Italy
Reuters
29/34
The Louvre Museum
Getty Images
30/34
Musee du Louvre in Paris is closed to the public
AFP via Getty Images
31/34
The Eiffel Tower is seen next to a board that reads: “In the context of the COVID-19 the Eiffel Tower closes
Reuters
32/34
An empty Disneyland Paris
PA
33/34
Old Town area visually deserted, amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
34/34
Old Town area is visually deserted, amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns, in Warsaw, Poland
via Reuters
Mr Lofven’s government has attracted worldwide interest by pursuing a markedly different strategy to most other nations by keeping bars, restaurants and schools open.
Outdoor venues were busy over the weekend as a result, and many people flocked to parks and forests around the capital Stockholm.
There was more positive news elsewhere in Europe as Germany today recorded a fourth consecutive daily decline in new infections. Confirmed coronavirus infections rose by 3,677 in the past 24 hours to 95,391, compared with 5,936 new infections reported the previous day.
Spain today recorded its lowest number of fatalities in more than a week as the country began its fourth week under a near-total lockdown.
The government today said it plans to widen coronavirus testing to include people without symptoms as a first step towards slowly easing the lockdown.
Italy yesterday reported a daily death toll of 525 — the country’s lowest number for more than two weeks. The health minister, Roberto Speranza, outlined plans for broader testing and beefed-up health services as part of measures following a future easing of the lockdown.
With nearly 16,000 fatalities, Italy has the world’s biggest death toll from the disease.
Infection rates in France have also begun to slow over the past week, although the death toll has grown to more than 8,000 now that nursing and care home fatalities are being included in the figures.
