The authorities of the Swedish city of Lund has taken a radical decision in order not to allow the residents to gather in groups during the celebration of the annual festival — and scattered in a local Park of more than 900 pounds of chicken manure.
Tens of thousands of people annually flock to Lund for a traditional festival in honor of Walpurgis night which is celebrated throughout Europe. The city authorities believe that the chicken manure will prevent mass gatherings that are contrary to the rules of self-isolation.
«Lund could well become the epicenter of the spread of coronavirus in the last night of April, I think it was a good initiative.» — said the Chairman of the Committee for the environment local Council Gustav Lundblad.
While in Sweden there are no official restrictions, the authorities urge citizens not to attend the traditional festival, in order to avoid the potential spread of the virus. Lundblad said that in addition to its main ideas, chicken manure in Lund will bring added value, local fertilizing lawns. However, he expressed concern about the smell, which can spread to the other parts of the city.
«I’m not an expert on fertilizer, but, as I understand it, it is clear that the smell can spread beyond the Park.» said Lundblad. «In the end, it’s chicken droppings. I can’t guarantee that the rest of the city will be odorless. But the point is not to let people in city Park.»
Walpurgis night — spring festival, which is celebrated from March 30 to may 1, and has its roots in pagan times. During the festival people are all night bonfires, in order to summon the spring.
Sweden has banned a scheduled meeting more than 50 people, but it has relatively low limits compared to other countries that have imposed particularly stringent measures of isolation. Today in Sweden was more than 21,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and more than 2,500 deaths.
