Swedish City To Dump Manure In Park To Keep People Away On Walpurgis Night

Officials at the university town of Lund in Sweden are set to dump chicken manure in the city park ahead of Walpurgis Night. The unique approach is an effort to prevent the city from becoming an epicenter for the coronavirus because of the celebrations.

Walpurgis night is a traditional holiday celebrated in Scandinavia and northern Europe every April 30. The origin of Walpurgis dates back to pagan fertility rites and the coming of spring. Typical Walpurgis activities in Sweden include parties, the lighting of bonfires and singing traditional songs. In Lund, which is the home of Sweden's biggest universities, the residents and students typically gather in the parks for picnics before the Walpurgis party begins.

However, things will be different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. To prevent people from gathering as they traditionally did, officials are set to dump a ton of chicken manure in the city park.

"Lund could very well become an epicentre for the spread of the coronavirus on the last night in April, [so] I think it was a good initiative," chairman of the local council's environment committee, Gustav Lundbland, told a local newspaper, according to The Guardian. "We get the opportunity to fertilise the lawns, and at the same time it will stink and so it may not be so nice to sit and drink beer in the park."

Naturally, there is the possibility that the smell of the chicken manure may not be limited to the park, but Lundblad noted "the point" is to keep people away from the park, especially on a day when they traditionally celebrate together.

Authorities in Swedish towns and cities have asked people to skip Walpurgis celebrations this year. Unlike many other countries, however, Sweden has chosen to focus on personal responsibility rather than strict enforcement to combat COVID-19. The country has refused to impose strict restrictions, and, instead, opted for a lighter approach to the pandemic by asking, not ordering, people to observe social distancing, working from home, staying indoors and avoiding non-essential travel.

So far, Sweden has reported 20,302 cases and 2,462 deaths, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University & Medicine.