Sweden has been an outlier in the global pandemic: It eschewed lockdowns and kept restaurants, bars, schools, movie theaters and gyms mostly open. And while death rates were high compared to its Nordic neighbors, they were comparable to those of larger European countries.

Now, a second wave has brought a new surge in infections and Stockholm’s emergency services are overrun, forcing the authorities to recalibrate their approach. They imposed new restrictions at the end of November that bring the country’s response somewhat more in line with the rest of Europe. They include drastic cutbacks on the size of public gatherings and some school closures.

But with ski lifts, restaurants and bars all remaining open, Sweden’s tougher restrictions still pale in comparison to the rest of Europe and there are mounting concerns that not enough is being done. Intensive care beds in hospitals in the Stockholm region are all currently occupied, regional health director Bjorn Eriksson said at a news conference on Tuesday.

“We are far beyond 100 percent of capacity in intensive care. We are approaching almost double the number of available spaces,” he said.