STOCKHOLM: Sweden's centre-left government said it would boost spending on by 45 billion crowns ($5.31 billion)in its spring budget to fight the ongoing pandemic and support a shift to a fossil free economy as the crisis eases.

"Altogether expenses related to the measures taken since the pandemic began total more than 400 billion crowns," Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson said in a statement.

Many of the measures in the budget had already been announced by the government.