One of Norway’s top disease experts has described the surge of coronavirus deaths in neighbouring Sweden as a “sad situation”.
Sweden has had more deaths from Covid-19 in the past fortnight than Norway recorded since the start of the outbreak.
Frode Forland of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said early action and an effective test-and-trace system had been crucial to keeping the number of fatalities low.
"It is a reflection of the high spread of infection in Sweden. I think it is a very high figure and it is a sad situation that Sweden has come to," he told the Swedish daily newspaper Aftonbladet.
“The countries that had the greatest spread of infection in the first wave have also had it this autumn. The countries that quickly stopped the virus have contracted less infection.”
The two Scandinavian nations adopted contrasting approaches to public health at the beginning of the pandemic, resulting in vastly differing outcomes.
Norway has recorded 354 Covid-related deaths since the start of the outbreak, whereas Sweden reported 360 Covid deaths in the past 10 days alone.
Norway already performs Covid-19 testing at airports and a 10-day quarantine for travellers from high-risk countries.
Dr Forland said he believed Sweden should replicate Norway’s approach by enforcing stricter measures at its border.
"I think you should travel less and make sure to avoid people entering with infection from other countries. I think that is important," he told Aftonbladet.
Sweden was criticised earlier this year after chief epidemiologist expert Anders Tegnell refused to impose a national lockdown and instead opted for a herd immunity strategy.
But cases have soared rapidly in recent weeks.
To stem a severe second wave, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven announced on Thursday that high schools would switch to distance-learning for the rest of the year.
Sweden’s death rate per capita is several times that of its Nordic neighbours, but lower than many European countries that opted for national lockdowns.
Sweden registered 35 new Covid-19 related deaths on Thursday, taking the total across the country to 7,007.
Anders Tegnell also said fatalities would climb higher and that the death toll was not expected to reach its peak until mid-December.
“We know from other countries down in Europe that the death toll is one, to a few, weeks behind the others. So we will probably unfortunately continue to see increasing death rates,” he said.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYodawy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarim%20Khashaba%2C%20Sherief%20El-Feky%20and%20Yasser%20AbdelGawad%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2424.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlgebra%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20MEVP%20and%20Delivery%20Hero%20Ventures%2C%20among%20others%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20500%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
