The extension to the travel ban was confirmed at a digital press conference on Sunday January 24th, when the Swedish government announced a new travel ban on entry from Norway. The entry ban from the United Kingdom was also extended until February 14th.
On Saturday January 23rd, the Norwegian government introduced a series of very strict restrictions in Oslo and nine more municipalities due to an outbreak of the more contagious B117 coronavirus variant, first identified in Britain.
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The British virus mutation already exists in Sweden. So far, about 50 cases have been confirmed, the vast majority of them are linked to people who have been abroad, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency.
"The ban applies from midnight until February 14th and can be extended if necessary", Interior Minister Mikael Damberg said at the digital press conference on Sunday afternoon.
READ MORE: COVID UPDATE: Sweden bans travel entry from Norway
In December, the Swedish government announced a ban on travel into Sweden from both the UK and Denmark, due to the new coronavirus variant in the countries. The ban was initially due to last a month.
It was the first time during the pandemic that the Scandinavian country closed the border on one of its neighbours.
Swedish citizens are exempt from the entry ban, as are non-citizens who live or work in Sweden, and people working in the transportation of goods.
The B117 coronavirus variant has previously been estimated to be between 50-74 percent more infectious than established forms of Covid-19.
It is expected to comprise 50 percent of all Covid-19 variants in circulation in Denmark by the middle of February, according to a new report issued by the State Serum Institute (SSI).
It has been traced to have first appeared in Denmark in November, but was reported to have become established in the south east of England in December.
READ ALSO: How could infectious Covid-19 variant impact Denmark's infection numbers?
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