The government is now giving four authorities and county administrative boards assignments aimed at being ready for a possible second wave of infection this fall. This is stated by Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren (S) at a press conference with Lena Micko (S).

This concerns the Public Health Authority, the National Board of Health, the Swedish Medicines Agency, the Swedish Agency for Social Protection and Emergency Preparedness (MSB) and the county administrative boards.

- It is difficult to predict when and where the spread of infection can occur, says Minister of Civil Affairs Lena Micko (S) and continues.

- The MSB will be assigned the task of assessing what interventions may be relevant and to develop a plan for how these plans will be implemented in the event of a second wave.

Like the outbreak in Gällivare

One task for the Public Health Authority is to find out if it is possible to have general advice and regulations that are regionally adapted and not, as today, applicable to the entire country.

If a second wave comes in the fall, it will probably be a matter of cluster infection, such as the outbreak in Gällivare, according to Social Minister Lena Hallengren.

- Therefore, it is important that there are plans regional, not just national, she explains.

It's been six months since you classified this as a pandemic, why didn't this work begin earlier?

"There has been work since then, but there has been much more of national measures when we are not aware of how the infection has spread, when municipalities and regions have not been able to take different measures," Lena Hallengren told SVT.

- In essence, it is not about developing many new measures. It is about being able to describe what applies in the form of regulations and general advice. Gällivare is a good example, they have acted wisely.  

The County Administrative Board's mission is to develop a plan, to have good preparedness for new outbreaks of covid-19 coming this fall.