COVID-19: Swedish city of Lund uses stinking fertiliser to keep people away from park

Swedish university city of Lund is spreading a tonne of smelling chicken manure in a park to discourage people from gathering today for a festival.

The Stadspark hosts about 30,000 people who gather yearly for huge bonfire parties to celebrate the spring festival Valborg.

But the city wants people to skip the festival in order to control the spread of coronavirus.

Gustav Lindblad, from Lund’s environmental committee, said it was a good opportunity to fertilise the lawn, but “it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer in the park”.

A tonne of manure would be spread on the ground to put a dampener on anyone thinking of turning up for Thursday’s event.

Most revellers are students, but some travel to the southern city from different parts of the country.

Sweden’s government has had a comparatively light-touch approach to the coronavirus pandemic, but the city’s mayor confirmed the muck-spreading was going ahead.

There has been no forced lockdown and businesses such as restaurants and cafes have been allowed to stay open.

It has so far reported more than 2,400 deaths for its population of around 10 million, a significantly higher rate than its Nordic neighbours.