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LEADER. The mutated variant of the coronavirus that has been discovered in the UK is neither more deadly nor more dangerous than the original virus. However, it is up to 70 percent more contagious. That message was delivered by the slightly wounded prime minister Boris Johnson at a press conference last Saturday.
The discovery explains the increased spread of the infection, especially in London and south-east England. The restrictions have been tightened. Christmas next set. But the news about the new strain of the virus has also caused the outside world to react. Holland, Belgium, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Finland are some of the countries that stop traveling from the United Kingdom.
Sweden’s actions have differed in many ways from those of other countries. When others have closed, Sweden has remained open. Not this time. Last week, criticism from the royal family government, as well as from the opposition and the crown commission came in full. The need for action has rarely been greater.
What better way to do this than to isolate entire countries? On Sunday, Home Secretary Mikael Damberg signaled an upcoming government decision banning entry from Britain. One was unveiled by the government on Monday and took effect Tuesday night. At least nine cases of the mutated virus have also been found in Denmark. Therefore, entry from Denmark at night was also prohibited.
Attempts by Sweden and other countries to eliminate the mutated virus strain are understandable. But that doesn’t make isolation rational. Swedish citizens are, for natural reasons, exempt from entry bans. The problem is that viruses do not know national borders or nationality. A Swedish citizen traveling from any country, including Denmark and the UK, can take it with him. Furthermore, the new infection is not only found in the UK and Denmark. At least one case has been found in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.
Therefore, preventing the Danes and the British from traveling to Sweden will be symbolic. If the virus strain is as contagious as Boris Johnson claims, the spread of the infection is already underway in Europe. Few countries want a repeat of the total shutdown in which European countries participated in the spring. More or less all countries were blocked again. The EU internal market was hit hard, along with confidence in the Union as a whole. This time, cooperation must be safeguarded.
Stopping Danish travelers must hurt the government. But for both Sweden and the rest of Europe, it’s easy to go to Great Britain. The isolation of the British is like a kind of dress rehearsal before the country moves a little further from the mainland at the beginning of the year. Then the post-Brexit transition period will end. There is still no agreement for the future relationship with the EU, despite repeated deadlines.
In practice, there is a risk of similar chaos at the border that occurred this weekend. On Monday, Boris Johnson held a crisis meeting on what the global virus restrictions mean for, among other things, the flow of goods across the British border. When France closed against Great Britain, the most important commercial relationship of the British with Europe was also closed. From the port of Dover, passengers and trucks were not allowed to cross the English Channel into Calais.
Nobody wins because Britain loses. Be it virus restrictions or the threat of a hard Brexit. If the British get rid of the union, Sweden must rush to improve the bilateral relationship. In terms of virus policy, nationalism is a recognized lousy solution. What needs to be countered is the spread of the infection domestically, neither Danish nor British.
