[ad_1]
The strategy of the German crown is at a dead end, the number of new infections does not decrease, more than 400 people die every day. But there are European countries that cope even worse with the second wave. Sweden is a negative example.
The desire to deal with the crown pandemic with as few restrictive measures as possible made Sweden a shining example to many. The many deaths last spring could be dismissed as a mistake the Scandinavian country has learned from. And in the summer it seemed that the Swedish Sonderweg would be as effective as the German Crown strategy. That turns out to be an illusion in the second wave.
Germany, which is now trying to take very soft measures, has reached a dead end. New infections stagnate at a high level, and more than 400 people die every day. Instead of decisively regaining control with a short but hard lockout, ineffective soft shutdown is extended. However, many still believe that, in addition to AHAL rules, it is sufficient to protect risk groups and convince the population of a voluntary restriction of contact.
New infections and death rates are increasing significantly
But Sweden can hardly use the opponents of the lockdown as a good example of such a policy. Because the country of the extreme north is largely at the end of its Latin Crown. The number of new infections is skyrocketing and the death rate is much higher than in Germany.
If you look at the statistics showing the number of Covid 19 deaths per million inhabitants, it becomes clear how badly Sweden is currently dealing with the second crown wave. Currently, this is around 5.5 deaths on a 7-day moving average. Germany currently has about 4.2 deaths. That means Sweden now has almost the same death rate as the United States.
And the country could have many more deaths in the coming weeks. Because while Germany is relatively stable with a 7-day incidence of around 150 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of new cases in Sweden continues to increase dramatically. The incidence of Scandinavians is currently around 340. In Sweden, around 20 percent of the population is over 65, in Germany about 22 percent. The structures are definitely comparable.
If the country fails to protect the elderly better than the Federal Republic of Germany, the number of deaths from Covid-19 will continue to rise as new infections rise. The current evolution of the death rate in Sweden can only be seen in hindsight due to the reporting system there. The values fluctuate a lot, yesterday the country reported 174 new deaths by corona, today 35. Among other things, this is due to the fact that Sweden officially counts as 19 Covid victims by date of death and not by registration date.
Chief epidemiologist loses overview
The delay in the death toll also recently embarrassed the country’s top epidemiologist. The country has seen a rapid increase in the number of victims since the end of October. “We don’t have a big increase [der Zahl der Todesfälle]But it’s an increase that we’ve been seeing since mid-October, “Anders Tegnell said on November 18.” At that time we had four to five deaths per day, and now we reach around 20. “In fact, there are already values 40 deaths a day were reached on November 18, 49, reports” The Local. “He was clearly wrong, he said. Tegnell later, but could only say what he knew at the time.
“El Local” asked the chief epidemiologist if he had underestimated the second wave. “Did not answer. The strength of a wave cannot be determined based solely on mortality. The spread of the disease is much more important. “There is no better indication of the severity of a wave.” So it is clear that Sweden’s leading epidemiologist also sees new infections as a crucial asset in the fight against the corona epidemic.
Tighter measures decided
And that is why Sweden has now said goodbye to its flexible crown policy and is sometimes taking tougher measures than Germany. This is not entirely new. Contrary to the legend that the country only recommends restrictions to its citizens, gatherings of more than 50 people were still prohibited in Sweden in the summer, while in Germany, in the spirit of partying, events with hundreds of people were allowed even in closed rooms. The fact that Sweden raised the limit to 300 in October, while the second wave was already clearly emerging, could be described as arrogant, at least it was very reckless.
In mid-November the move away from “laissez-faire” began. First, the government reduced the maximum number of public events of all kinds, including demonstrations, to eight people and imposed a ban on alcohol from 10 p.m. Then, yesterday it was the turn of the schools: from Monday to 8 January, high school students have to go to homeschooling.
“The objective is to reduce the crowds, for example in public transport,” said the head of the health authority, Johan Carlson, on whose recommendation the measure was decided, according to “The Local”. “But we are also seeing a strong spread of infection in this age group.” There are also plans to introduce new bans on visiting nursing homes at hotspots.
That will hardly be enough
There is a heated debate in Sweden about whether the new measures will be enough to significantly reduce new infections. Because beyond the restrictions that have been decided, the government’s recommendations remain, to which the population appears to adhere less and less. The requirement for a mask is not even seriously discussed and restaurants, like all stores, remain open, only no more than eight people are allowed at a table. And more Swedes are allowed to meet privately, here too there are only recommendations.
The few bans are not solely due to Tegnell’s reluctance to shutdowns, which for him cannot be a long-term solution. Sweden does not have, or has had, laws that allow significant interference with fundamental rights. In mid-April, an emergency law against a pandemic was passed that gave the government the right to close schools, ports, shops, etc. without consulting parliament. However, it expired on June 30 without ever having been used.
Difficult legal situation
The law shows, however, that the Swedish constitution basically allows the government to restrict civil liberties. The prerequisite is that a law is passed, the measures serve legitimate interests or objectives, for example health, or the restrictions are deemed necessary and proportionate for other reasons.
This is formulated in a very vague way and consequently, according to “El Local”, experts also disagree on what is possible and what is not in the current situation. One view is that the government could reissue the April Law, which would be quick. However, the opposition demands that in this case the parliament debate and approve all the measures. Health Minister Lena Hallengren said this path has become useless. Instead, the government is now working on a new law that can hardly be passed in time to stop the second wave.
Not all bad, but not a good role model
Thus, Sweden is in a similarly more difficult situation than Germany, where the form of government and the constitution also severely limit the possibilities for governments to intervene in fundamental rights. Despite the new Infection Protection Law, long-term lockdowns are almost impossible in the Federal Republic. But the Swedish government, like the German one, has to be accused of failing to prepare for a second wave in the summer, among other things with a new law.
The rights to freedom are precious goods and it is good that they cannot simply be limited to one country or the other. European central governments with much broader powers can more easily enforce effective blockades, as can be seen, for example, in France. But for the entire duration of the pandemic, they have fared much worse so far. Sweden did a lot of things wrong in the Corona crisis, but also some things right. But he is definitely not a good role model for Germany when dealing with the second wave.
