STOCKHOLM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's Public Health Agency on Friday reported 4,697 new COVID-19 infections, the highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic.

The agency also reported 20 new coronavirus-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative number of fatalities to 6,022. The total number of infections confirmed in the country stands at 146,461. Currently, 92 people are receiving intensive care in hospitals.

However, despite the worrying spread of the virus and the authorities' repeated calls for the public to observe social distancing and avoid indoor gatherings, congestion in public places continues.

Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Friday that crowds still pack on to public transport and swarm to shopping centers -- most without face masks.

"We must tighten up now," Karin Tegmark Wisell, head of the department of microbiology at the Swedish Public Health Agency, told the SVT.

Wisell emphasized that everyone should take their responsibility. She reiterated that people should shop alone if they can and should avoid cramped indoor environments.

So far, ten of Sweden's 21 regions have introduced stricter local restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Swedish Public Health Agency advised residents not to use public transport, avoid indoor environments, such as shops, shopping malls and museums, and refrain from having physical contact with people other than those they live with. Enditem

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