Swedes aged over 70 and other at-risk groups should now follow the same coronavirus guidelines as the rest of the population, the authorities say.
Sweden previously advised those groups to avoid all close contact with people they did not live with.
But Sweden's public health chief said self-isolation had taken a toll on the elderly. The country has not imposed tough rules seen elsewhere in Europe.
A second lockdown is in force in the Czech Republic to tackle a big surge.
People must stay at home unless they have to go out to work, exercise or shop for food and medicine.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said the harsh restrictions were regrettable, but without this the hospitals would be overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients within about three weeks. The lockdown is in place until at least 3 November.
The country of 10.6 million was among the first to lock down in Europe back in March, when the first wave struck, earning respect for its tough policy of closing borders and mass-producing millions of masks.
But now it has Europe's highest infection rate - there were 14,968 new cases on Wednesday - and Covid-linked deaths have risen to 1,739, of whom 69 died on Wednesday, according to official data.
Some areas have recorded rates above 800 infections for every 100,000 people. In neighbouring Germany, 50 per 100,000 is considered the danger threshold.
Cases are also increasing in Sweden - whose population is 10 million - though not as rapidly as in European hotspots such as Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the UK.
Belgium's Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès, 45, is in intensive care. The former prime minister announced she had tested positive on Saturday, and said the infection "probably occurred within my family circle".
Her spokesperson described her as conscious and "relatively OK" on Thursday.
Belgium's current recorded death toll is 10,539 - its Covid-linked deaths per capita put it third-highest in the world after Peru and San Marino, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
At an EU foreign ministers' meeting on 12 October Ms Wilmès sat next to Austria's Alexander Schallenberg, who also tested positive later.
Sweden strives for 'a balance'
For months elderly Swedes and other at-risk groups have been advised to avoid going to shops, including supermarkets and pharmacies.
Johan Carlson, head of Sweden's Public Health Agency, said the recommendations had helped reduce the spread of the virus to vulnerable groups.
But he said there had been physical and mental health consequences for those groups. Given the duration of the pandemic, he added, it was unreasonable for them to continue carrying that burden.
"There will be a risk for individuals. We will see that a few people will get sick, but we have to find a balance," he said.
The advice for the general population includes avoiding large gatherings - such as busy restaurants - frequent hand-washing, social distancing and working from home if possible, the BBC's Maddy Savage reports.
Uppsala, north of Stockholm, became the first region to introduce tougher local rules on Tuesday, with all residents advised to avoid physical contact with those they don't live with.
Elsewhere in Europe:
New "level 5" rules have come into force in Ireland- the highest level of Covid restrictions there
Germany has announced a record 11,287 daily number of infections. Health Minister Jens Spahn has himself caught coronavirus. He attended cabinet meetings on Wednesday, but officials say he wore a mask, and a big round table was used with spacing between ministers
Italy's Lazio region around Rome has joined two other Italian regions in declaring overnight curfews. Lombardy in the north starts its curfew at 23:00 (21:00GMT) on Thursday, Campania and Lazio follow suit on Friday. Prof Walter Ricciardi, who advises the government on health, has warned that "some metropolitan areas like Milan, Naples and probably Rome are already out of control in terms of controlling the pandemic"
Spain is the first EU country to reach a million infections and the northern region of Navarre has imposed restrictions on movement. The Rioja wine region says it will do the same