Sweden's elderly are the worst corona-affected group in the country. On April 1, a ban on visitors to all the elderly homes in the country came into force and today the message came that it will be extended throughout the summer.

- Sweden is still in the midst of a global pandemic. There are signs that development is slowing down, but that it continues so cannot be taken for granted. As the trend has shown, it is in elderly care that most people have died, says Social Minister Lena Hallengren at the press conference.

However, while the ban on visits has been in place, it has been met with criticism that the elderly have been forced to die alone because relatives have not been able to say goodbye.

The National Board of Health and Welfare is now commissioned to investigate how safe family visits can be carried out.

"The measure also has negative consequences"

- The measures we take also have negative consequences. The news has recently reported that more than 1,000 people have died in loneliness in elderly care. We must be able to mitigate the negative consequences of the ban while maintaining security, Hallengren says.

On July 15, the National Board of Health and Welfare will present a summary of the survey.

As an example of what a safe visit might look like, Hallengren mentions that it may be relevant to let relatives use protective equipment.

Lena Hallengren also told us that the Inspection for Healthcare and Care, IVO, is currently conducting in-depth supervision of all the country's elderly residents.

- The supervision is going out this week and then the authority will come up with a compilation.