On July 1, several of the restrictions on serving places were eased.
Now this includes:
• There are no rules for how many people can sit together outdoors.
Indoors, you can have a maximum of eight people per party / table.
• There must be at least one meter between the tables.
• The limited opening hours have been abolished.
Now it is the same opening hours as before the pandemic that apply.
Mingle and dance
Eating and drinking must be done while sitting and you must not go to a nightclub.
But what applies to spontaneous dancing that occurs at outdoor cafes is not completely regulated - and not simply.
The supervision of restaurants is the responsibility of each municipality and the rules are based on the fact that you must sit in your place with food and drink.
This is how Monika Gerdhem, head of department at the Environmental Administration in the city of Stockholm, explains:
- It's tricky.
In principle, dance goes well if you do not eat and drink at the same time and as long as it is not crowded.
It is not forbidden to stand up and talk, nor to move to music, but you must keep your distance.
Our regulations state that restaurants are obliged to counteract congestion, this applies even if it occurs outdoors.
- If I were to see 10-15 people moving close to each other, I would ban it immediately.
It is about keeping your distance and taking your own responsibility, she says.
"Seated consumption that applies"
At the outdoor restaurant Ön on Långholmen in Stockholm, they welcome the eased restrictions and expect that it will be ugly this weekend.
What do you do if someone starts spontaneously dancing?
- You must not do that, it is sedentary consumption that applies.
We work with a security company that has the task of circulating in the area and ensuring that people take care of themselves, but I think our guests have stayed very well so far, says Albin Wessman, restaurant owner.