To the Service Office in Sundbyberg come people who live in some of the worst corona affected areas in Sweden. During the past week, the service officers have received several people with suspected coronary infection.

- We have received people who have said they have corona and have presented medical certificates. It feels uneasy, says Sofie Petterson, who is a service manager.

The State's 113 service offices around the country exist to help people get help with matters to the Pension Authority, the Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Tax Agency, or obtain an ID card. There are a number of different authorities that are interconnected here, and many of the customers do not have a bank ID or sufficiently good Swedish to manage digitally. So they have to go there in person and show up and their documents.

Ignored in quarantine decisions

Service clerk Yang Claesson talks about how her colleagues received an older couple. After a while they told me that they also wanted help with their medical certificates. There the attorneys could read that the doctor had written suspected coronary infection.

- They stood here coughing and showing all the symptoms of corona. We asked them to leave the room. The doctor had written that they would quarantine for two weeks but they ignored it, says Yang Claesson.

Others in the staff that SVT has talked to say that communication with management has not worked. This is despite the fact that incident reports have been made every time a person with suspected coronary infection appeared. Several of the staff have asked for protective measures such as putting up plexiglass or having protective masks and plastic gloves provided by the employer.

Concerns since colleague became ill

One of the staff who wants to be anonymous talks about how many of her colleagues have great anxiety about going to work. Especially after a clerk in the Migration Board's office became seriously ill in covid-19.

- I'm scared all the time. You never know if you will be infected and take the virus home to your family and children, says an anonymous service officer to SVT.

Thomas Pålsson is Director General of the Government Service Center and is responsible for the around 800 service officers who are in the offices. He says he knows about the incident reports on corona-infected visitors.

- I have taken measures on a continuous basis following the instructions we receive from the Public Health Authority, among other things we have guards who ensure that a maximum of 35 people are allowed to stay in the premises at the same time and that they keep the distances.

Director General: Citizens need help

Thomas Pålsson says that it has been free for service handlers to wear their own plastic gloves or protective masks, but that the authority does not have such available.

- Infected people should not be in our premises. It is a violation of the Infection Protection Act, but what can we do?

- We have a community support mission and will keep it open so that citizens can get help in their contact with the authorities, but if the situation changes then we may consider closing the offices, says Thomas Pålsson.

Following SVT's interview, the State Service Center has now announced that it is investigating the possibility of purchasing protective masks and gloves for its staff.