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Seeing the virus continue to spread, the government already promises at least 50 to 100,000 inspections every week, and continues to urge Swedes to stay home if it’s not possible, even if a mild cough or sore throat is enough.
Anders Tegnell, the country’s leading epidemiologist, who is the face of Sweden’s fight against the coronavirus, is already acknowledging mounting pressure on the healthcare system, especially in Stockholm, which has become a focus of infection.
Reuters / Scanpix photo / Anders Tegnell
However, Mr Tegnell himself emphasizes that Sweden is no exception. After all, the number of confirmed infections in the world has already exceeded 3 million.
“We are talking about such large numbers that it is becoming difficult to understand the scale of the pandemic.” The world has been experiencing this for a long time. “We will have to live with this virus for a long time,” said the epidemiologist.
It has the support of Ann Linde, Swedish Foreign Minister, who is increasingly taking off her shoes in other parts of the world and has not announced universal quarantine and has decided to trust the conscience of her citizens.
The strategy must be supported by the people.
According to the head of Swedish diplomacy, in many places, especially in the USA. In the US, Stockholm has misinterpreted the path chosen to combat COVID-19 infection. The methods are, of course, more liberal than in other parts of Europe and America.
Linde emphasized that Sweden should not be considered a “libertarian nirvana”: the government has recently tightened the rules on online gambling, resolutely closes restaurants that violate social distance rules, and forbade family members from visiting nursing homes.
Photo by Scanpix / Ann Linde
“But it is a marathon, not a speed race. Our decisions must be acceptable to the people,” added the minister.
He reiterated calls from the country’s Public Health Agency “to be as outside as possible and go for a walk.”
“Locking yourself up at home increases your risk of depression, domestic violence and alcohol abuse,” said Linde, including United States President Donald Trump.
Supported by all parties
The rather moderate Swedish approach to trying to manage a coronavirus pandemic (most schools, restaurants, shops operate in the country) is liked by far-right activists in Europe and the United States.
Ann Linde: Being locked up at home increases the risk of depression, domestic violence, and alcohol abuse.
The latter, who still speak of freedom and repression, want the restrictions to be relaxed in their own countries as well, even though the restrictions are already being relaxed.
However, Linde did not appreciate such radical support and said that he had tried to explain the Swedish attitude to the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, when communicating with him remotely.
“Supporting far-right groups does not mean much. Sweden handles the pandemic on the basis of tradition and will not change its strategy due to external voices,” Linde said.
Scanpix / Sweden photo during a coronavirus pandemic
The Minister emphasized that the government’s strategy in the country is supported not only by radical Swedish right-wing Democrats, but by the eight factions working in parliament.
According to Linde, Sweden can afford freer rules because the public has great confidence in the government: “A government recommendation is not just advice that you can or cannot listen to. Instructions are being heard. “
For example, while domestic travel is not prohibited in Sweden, travel to the popular Gotland Island over the Easter holidays has dropped by as much as 96 percent.
It is not possible to compare
Admittedly, critics of the Swedish approach point out that death rates in this country are much worse than in neighboring Scandinavian countries.
In Sweden, for example, up to 11 times more people have died from the new coronavirus than in Norway, although the latter has only twice as many people.
Scanpix / Sweden photo during a coronavirus pandemic
Linde is not inferior: he says there is little point in comparing the two countries, as the way the virus spreads is determined by many factors. In addition, different countries have different options on how to classify COVID-19 related deaths.
In Sweden, five restaurants that did not follow customer distance rules were already closed this week.
However, the minister expressed concern over Sweden’s inability to prevent the virus from reaching a nursing home where there is no real shortage of deaths. “There are too many deaths there. We don’t know why,” admitted A. Linde.
He recalled that five restaurants in the country that had not complied with the rules on the distance between customers had already closed this week.
“We are ready to take stricter measures if instructions are not followed. We have the authority to close schools in an instant when circumstances change,” said A. Linde.
About half of Sweden’s GDP depends on exports, so the government is now feverishly trying to resist pressure to raise tariffs. But it is already recognized that the economic situation is really bad.
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