Copenhagen: A senior Swedish official has resigned after a vacation to Spain’s Canary Islands for Christmas and New Year’s, saying “the important thing is how we as a society handle the pandemic and all focus is on the incredibly important task”.
The departure of Dan Eliasson on Wednesday (Swiss time), who had headed the government agency responsible for civil protection, public safety, emergency management and civil defence since March 2018, comes as the Scandinavian country has seen a recent spike in virus cases.
Dan Eliasson has resigned his role as director of the Swedish Contingencies Agency after contravening government advice and by travelling to the Canary Islands.Credit:AP
And last year, the agency known as MSB, sent out text messages to millions in Sweden urging them not to travel.
But the 59-year-old Eliasson was photographed several times in December in the Canary Islands. He told the Expressen daily that he had “given up a lot of travel during this pandemic” and has a daughter living on the islands.
