The government’s message cannot be understood

A mush of contradictions – no wonder people do whatever they want

Published: December 21, 2020 at 6:50 p.m.

Cut off by more or less contradictory messages, it threatens to drown the Swedish people.

The risk is obvious.

At worst, people ignore calls and do what they think is best.

I have great respect for the fact that dealing with a pandemic is not easy. The risk of derailment is great and, in that case, public health and the economy are threatened to an even greater degree than they have been in other cases.

But I know it’s easier to get Get people to act as intended if messages are clear and unambiguous.

You cannot blame the government and the message of authority to citizens. On the contrary, they are often contradictory. Here are some examples, out of many.

Last weekend I wanted Suddenly, the government said that the Riksdag would pass the temporary pandemic law granting the government new powers as quickly as possible. They contacted the other Riksdag parties to see if the conditions were already in place for a decision during the Riksdag’s recently concluded Christmas holidays.

So, it must be remembered that the government first wanted it to come into effect only this summer. But the Riksdag was not satisfied and demanded that the work be accelerated so that it could take effect in March. During the darkness of midwinter, the government turned around and now it suddenly became ultra urgent.

Another example is the new, more infectious corona strain, which occurred mainly in south-eastern Britain.

Belgium and the Netherlands, among others, stopped flights and trains to and from the island kingdom on Sunday night.

Photo: Anders Wiklund / TT

Interior Minister Mikael Damberg said Sweden should do the same. But today, Monday, planes from the UK are still landing.

Interior Minister Mikael Damberg announced quickly that Sweden would do the same. But it was not until a day later that the government made the necessary decisions.
The UK entry ban runs from midnight until Tuesday. Throughout Monday, planes from the UK still landed. SAS continued to fly as usual.

Damberg now explained the slower Swedish handling of “team technology”.

A third example concerns the outbreak of decisions that the government and the Public Health Agency announced during their raid on Friday, late Friday afternoon, on the eve of Christmas week.

A glimpse of them does not exist benefit for decision makers. Young people are no longer allowed to play sports outside, perhaps. But shopping at the malls is still okay.

Mouth guards should be worn when congestion cannot be avoided. The only area where it is supposed to happen is on public transportation during rush hours after January 6. Why there?

This is clearly not the case. the Unwanted congestion occurs in many other situations. Therefore, the recommendation, which comes from the Swedish Public Health Agency, is difficult to understand because it lacks rigor.

One can, as the government’s message on Friday was interpreted, keep going to the System but not visit the library.

If the interested citizen wants delving into the new rules or recommendations is not possible.

The Government website only provides information on distance and distance education in upper secondary school as of January 7.

On the website of the Public Health Agency there is nothing at the time of writing this article. There, young people born after 2005 can play sports almost as usual, others should preferably stay outdoors and not share equipment. There is no line on mouth guards in case of congestion.

A big risk with this is, in the first place, that both the government and the authorities look ridiculous. They ring and ring. But then nothing happens, or very little.

They line up in front of the Swedes the flags in the press conference room of the Government Offices.

But when the responsible citizen wants to orient himself in the river of rules, he is not given any guidance.

Another risk, perhaps worse, is that people ignore the rules and recommendations and take matters into their own hands.

It is not surprising that when messages are contradictory, difficult to access, imperfect or incomplete, then citizens are forced to make the decisions themselves. A guide worthy of the name is missing.

The government and authorities communication was initially direct and straightforward. Wash your hands, stay home if you have symptoms, keep your distance. Feel free to go out.

Unfortunately, development since then has gone in the wrong direction. The messages, regulations and recommendations have turned into a mess.

That is a huge failure. The grade it will not be approved. Not really.

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Of: Lena Mellin

Published: December 21, 2020 at 6:50 p.m.

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