Preparation has not been good enough – NRK Urix – Foreign News and Documentaries

In an interview with Swedish Television, Löfven was asked if the country was prepared enough to handle a situation, such as a global epidemic, that has affected large parts of the world.

Like other European countries, Sweden also suspended its emergency reserves when the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union ended.

This has led to difficulties for the country to access sufficient infection control equipment and other necessary equipment to deal with the crown pandemic.

Believe everyone shares responsibility

– Emergency preparedness has not been enough. It is obvious to everyone from many different aspects, the Prime Minister replied.

Although the recession has been a wild policy and carried out by several governments, it is Löfven and the Social Democrats who are now receiving criticism. The party has also had the government for half of the years in question.

– All parties have a responsibility, because this was something that was phased out after the Cold War, for what we are talking about three decades. There are many government constellations during this time that have helped us to be where we are now, Löfven notes.

Löfven has ruled the country since 2014, but in addition to allocating more money to defense, there have been no major changes in terms of preparedness.

– When we took office, we saw that there were no plans. That is why we were able to create and adopt the national security strategy in 2017, where we mapped the areas to consider. Now we must develop it so that we can increase preparedness, says Löfven.

Everything from water and power supply to data security, transportation and healthcare must be considered.

All parties in the Swedish parliament must participate in the work, according to the prime minister.

– I am pleased that there is now a common recognition that we must strengthen both civil defense and total defense. We have to take advantage of the lessons learned from this crisis, about what we can learn, he tells SVT.

Solberg will not comment on Sweden

The Norwegian prime minister does not want to be judged on what has been done in Sweden, but believes that both countries have something to learn.

– I don’t want to be a commentator on the Swedish emergency preparedness situation, but we believe that we will all find learning points in our own preparedness after this, also in Norway, Erna Solberg tells NRK.

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Recognized in Norwegian descriptions of Swedish measures

She says a commission of inquiry will look at what could have been done better here at home.

– We should all be moved that this is a situation for which none of us was fully prepared. Although we knew that pandemics were a possibility, this rapid development may not have been anticipated, Solberg says.

When it comes to Norwegian preparedness, the prime minister says “we were prepared in some areas, while other areas were not as well prepared,” for example, infection control delivery processes and the like.

– We managed to keep deliveries pretty well, but I was vulnerable It is an area for which we could have been better prepared and from which we will learn for future situations.

It will not respond to criticism from the elderly.

Sweden, compared to many other countries, has chosen to keep society open during the crown crisis. This means that the limits are open, as are the stores, restaurants, and service industries.

They closed schools and imposed a ban on visiting nursing homes much later than, for example, Norway and Denmark.

The country now has a higher infection rate and more deaths than its Nordic neighbors. A total of 870 people died as a result of covid-19, many of whom are elderly.

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Swedish pandemic expert: – We are heading for a tragedy

Christian Democrats leader Ebba Busch believes the Löfven government has failed the elders with the chosen strategy. 40 percent of all coronary heart deaths recorded in the Swedish capital have been in nursing homes.

– I get sad when I hear it. These are citizens who I think have failed in the social democracy and parts of Sweden that the social democracy has forgotten in its quest for power, Busch told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

One of Löfven’s ministers calls the work in bad taste, noting that Christian Democrats, along with the Moderates, the Liberals, the Center Party and the Environment Party, rule the capital, and that he is one of the partners Busch’s party responsible for the care of the elderly..

Löfven himself says that he does not intend to discuss this now.

– I’m not going to get into a dispute about this. I focus on reducing the spread of infection, making sure that the healthcare system has the resources they need, that we can cushion the effects on employees and the business community.

– Then there will be enough time to discuss the other one too, says the Swedish prime minister.