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Visby turns to medieval knights for social distancing

瑞典維斯比 Visby, Sweden

The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging on and Sweden is not exempt. But with so many Swedes on holiday all over the country, how to make sure everyone keeps up with social distancing and personal hygiene? The UNESCO World Heritage town of Visby, on the island of Gotland, came up with a solution—medieval knights.

These handsome knights are there to remind visitors to keep enough distance from each other, and to maintain good personal hygiene, so everyone can travel safely without spreading the virus.

The medieval town of Visby dates from the 12th century, and was a part of the Hansa League maritime trading network. Since 1645, after Denmark was forced to cede the island of Gotland to Sweden, the town has been under Swedish rule.

European countries have been eager to resume summer tourism as it’s very important to the European economy. And the pandemic can’t stop the wanderlust of Swedes either—with 4 continuous weeks of legally mandated holiday in the summer (and 1 more week that can be used anytime), Swedes are not wasting the opportunity to get some fresh air and enjoyment elsewhere in the country.

(Archive photo)