The group that is in Cape Town ahead of the Antarctic expedition DML 2021/22 cancels the quarantine and travels back to Sweden. The reason is the large spread of covid-19, the uncertain state of the virus and the risk of bringing infection to the Wasa research station in Antarctica, where a research group is already located.

On 22 December 2021, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat informed that a participant had tested positive for covid-19 during the quarantine in Cape Town despite extensive infection control measures. The participant showed only mild flu symptoms, and the quarantine was extended for all. No one else was infected, and everyone is healthy today.

The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat puts safety first in connection with the research expeditions that the Secretariat organises. The Secretariat has decided to call off the expedition for the group in Cape Town with support from its medical advisers. The group in Antarctica is not affected by the decision.