One week ago, the government announced that the audience ceiling would be raised from 50 to 300 people at the country's sports arenas from 1 November.
The day before yesterday, Region Skåne announced that the 50 limit will remain there, and on Thursday the same message came from Stockholm, Uppsala, Västra Götaland and Östergötland counties.
This affects elite sports on many levels and if you look at Swedish elite football, where they had looked forward to receiving 300 spectators soon, many clubs are now deprived of that opportunity.
Swedish Elite Football's general secretary, Mats Enquist, on Thursday's announcement:
- I understand in a pandemic that you have to make strong austerity measures.
But I think we have shown that we can take a very big responsibility in football and have managed this in over 450 matches without contributing to the spread of infection, he says to SVT Sport and continues:
- Then it becomes very difficult when this issue has been pushed back and forth between different levels.
It was first with the government, then the Public Health Agency and then it jumped in between several times.
Now it has suddenly landed on local infection control authorities instead.
It is only to state that we are still judged differently while other activities are starting to have restrictions at a level where we have already taken it voluntarily.
Then we are still excluded that we are not allowed to have any guests at all in the arenas.
Are you disappointed with today's message?
- No, I'm rather given up.
It does not seem to help whatever we do.
We have a very good track record from elite football this year during the burning corona crisis.
Yet it is we who are constantly set as an exception and it is clear that it hurts.
- I do not know what to say soon anymore.
It is clear that it is difficult in a business that is bleeding.
We go out with the bathing water again because no one wants to listen to us.
I am absolutely convinced that even during a burning pandemic crisis, football could take on an enormous responsibility and ensure that we do not in any way contribute to the spread of infection.
Otherwise we would not even want to receive an audience ourselves.
What is the focus now in the future?
- Our main focus now is to manage this year's Allsvenskan.
We have five rounds left and it will be over soon.
The sad thing is that it gets so incredibly jerky.
One day we will have 500 spectators, then there will be 300 and now none at all.
Four regions retain the 50 limit:
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Audience of fifty people.
Photo: Tommy Forsgren, SVT