Sweden to lift travel requirement for negative COVID-19 test this week

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Swedish government said Tuesday that it's changing entry restrictions for travelers, and will drop its requirement that all passengers show a negative COVID-19 test regardless of vaccination.

For weeks, all travelers entering Sweden were required to show the negative test within two days of arrival.

Tuesday, Swedish officials said the rule will be dropped beginning Friday.

The test requirement was introduced on Dec. 28 as a measure to stem the spread of the Omicron variant.

"Travelers are no longer considered to pose a particular risk of affecting the spread of omicrons in Sweden," the government in Stockholm said in a statement.

"The special requirement for a negative test for ongoing COVID-19 infection performed within 48 hours before arrival in Sweden is therefore no longer considered to be a proportionate measure."

Beginning Friday, the Swedish government will bring back the vaccine pass rule that applied before the test mandate. That means foreign travelers arriving from the European Union must show either a digital certificate or other proof of vaccination.

The government also added five countries to its list of places where it accepts certificates of vaccination -- Montenegro, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.