On Thursday 28 October, The King and Queen visited Halland County to highlight initiatives being carried out in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The King and Queen's visit took place in Laholm, Skummeslöv and Halmstad, and was hosted by County Governor Brittis Benzler and County Director Jörgen Peters.
The King and Queen began the day at Osbeck Upper Secondary School in Laholm. There, The King and Queen met teachers, members of staff and pupils, who spoke about how the school's operations have been affected during the pandemic.
The King and Queen then travelled to Skummeslöv and Strandängshälsan Health Centre. There, they spoke with care staff about the pandemic and the vaccination efforts being carried out within the county and at the health centre. The King and Queen were also given a tour of the premises, where they saw the reception rooms where Covid-19 patients arrive.
The visit to Halland continued at Hotel Tylösand. There, The King and Queen met representatives from the county administrative board and Region Halland, who described the initiatives carried out during the pandemic and the coordinated management of PPE for municipalities. After lunch, discussions continued with representatives from Hotel Tylösand, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and Getinge Sterilization, who spoke about how the pandemic has affected businesses in the county.
Later during the afternoon, The King and Queen continued to Halland Art Museum in Halmstad. There, they spoke with museum staff about how the pandemic has affected the cultural industry, and how the museum has adapted its operations. The visit concluded with The King and Queen seeing two of the museum's exhibitions: Märta Måås-Fjetterström: Woven Narratives and Sven Gillsäter: Photographer and Educator.
In connection with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, members of the Royal Family will be visiting Sweden's 21 counties at the initiative of HM The King.
The first four visits took place in autumn 2020, but subsequent visits were postponed due to the second wave of the pandemic. The visit to Kalmar marked the resumption of visits to Sweden's counties during autumn 2021.
Through these visits, The King hopes to show the Royal Family's solidarity with those who have been affected and to highlight local initiatives within different sectors of society.
All visits will be adapted in view of the ongoing pandemic, and will be carried out in accordance with the Public Health Agency of Sweden's recommendations.