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The unwillingness to make politics of the crown epidemic is understandable, but sometimes it becomes almost parodic. The last days have visibility.
First came as always Ulf Kristersson. In order for Sweden to find a way out of the crown crisis and deep freeze in the economy, the moderates want to see a new group of experts, made up of economists and medical experts.
Of course, that doesn’t sound irrational. But what if the epidemiologist and the group’s economist disagree? Should they go out and resolve the matter in a duel?
Sweden already has several experts in epidemiology and economics. Many of them have enthusiastically participated in the social debate in recent months.
Another committee hardly makes matters worse, but what may have been missing is someone who weighs, judges, points out a way forward and takes responsibility for the result. In other Crown-affected democracies, it is a task that falls to elected politicians.
The Prime Minister then took the matter one step further. In an interview with TT announced Thursday Stefan Löfven who wants to see a special commission to examine events and decisions during the crown crisis.
The message was well received by other party leaders, but the prime minister had a clear warning: the Commission should be appointed only when the crisis is over.
This is completely in line with the way Löfven generally addresses critical questions and views on Sweden’s relationship with the virus: we must wait and see. It is too early to draw conclusions.
The lack of urgency is evident.
You should listen to the experts, preferably the official Swedish experts, so let’s do it:
Johan Giesecke He is a former state epidemiologist, now an adviser to the Public Health Authority and the World Health Organization. He predicted this week that “everyone” will be affected by the new corona virus before the pandemic ends.
It is a high number, the highest imaginable, actually, but other large numbers have been in circulation for a long time. For example, as early as March, the German government assumed that 60-70 percent of citizens would likely be infected. There are also many. Especially in Germany.
Anders Tegnell He is a disciple of Johan Giesecke, a current state epidemiologist and, for a few months now, the closest we get to a politician in the Swedish public. At least in the sense that it issues directives that govern social development and is responsible for the consequences of directives.
On Thursday, Tegnell estimated that about a third of residents of Stockholm, the country’s first region and so far the most affected, will have been infected with the virus until next week.
Excuse an amateur epidemiological scourge, but if you combine these claims, it appears that a devastating majority of this epidemic has yet to be managed in Sweden. Not only in the form of unemployment and bankruptcies, but also purely medical.
Which begs the question: If the government believes that a commission can come to the conclusion that something could be done better, wouldn’t it be worth letting it come as soon as possible? After all, we have little more than 3 000 Swedes dead already now.
We will dare argue at this point that it will be a long time before anyone can establish an official end point for the crown crisis. During that time, Sweden will face an infinite number of complex problems and difficult goal conflicts.
So far, the feeling of crisis has been excellent, and restricting the spread of infection is the clear and overriding goal: easy to absorb, easy to share. There is no need for any authority other than Anders Tegnell, with the government as the fan of the flag in the background.
Then it won’t continue. The Swedish line may “be based on volunteering”, but the situation is far from normal.
Voluntary efforts are under threat of coercion. The deep freeze in the economy is largely caused by the international virus scare, but the decision to ban most of the things that people think is fun (crowd sports, concerts, weddings, general hangings in bars) is very typical of Sweden.
If the crown crisis is going to lead to a new normal situation, as is sometimes said, trust that the situation will be the subject of political debate. Just like the old normal mode was.
No one wants Ulf Kristersson or Stefan Löfven to sit down with any magic formula that makes the coronavirus and its related misery disappear in a center. However, demand for at least those chosen to present some kind of opinion on the matter will soon increase.
Viktor Barth-Kron is a political commentator at Expressen.
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