The head of government crisis: we must live with the corona pandemic throughout 2021

To date, more than 6,500 people have died from COVID-19 in Sweden. The pandemic has hit the Swedish economy hard and a series of new rules and recommendations have severely limited the lives of Swedes.

A lot of people have I have not been able to meet friends, colleagues and family as usual for more than six months. The hope is that the new vaccines that are now being developed at record speed can restore life to normal after the New Year. But within the government office, the country’s government is preparing for another year with new outbreaks and continued restrictions.

– The pandemic will not go away just because we receive a vaccine. “We take height to continue working with different types of different measures,” says the crisis coordinator of the Government Offices, Elisabeth Backteman, who is also Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior Mikael Damberg (S).

How far are you looking? Is it about a year or more?

– I think it is reasonable, as Johan Carlson and the Prime Minister said, that it is necessary to be prepared both physically and mentally to handle the pandemic during 2021 at all levels of society.

Maybe it’s even longer. In the spring, officials from government offices began outlining a plan for the next 3 to 24 months, a document that is being reviewed continuously. DN has read the public parts of the planning documentation for the fall, which is also the basis for planning for the next few years.

The ten government offices of government offices are involved in the work of trying to calculate what consequences the different degrees of spread of infection may have for society. The document states that the government plans 24 months in advance, until spring 2022.

– There are many political areas that are affected in addition to the most obvious, medical care. These are education, the business community perspective, and the Ministry of Finance. We also have different administrative levels with responsibility for county administrative boards and municipalities, says Elisabeth Backteman.

Sweden is now In the second wave of the pandemic, and in planning documentation, officials warn that it will lead to higher risks of more bankruptcies, higher unemployment, higher segregation, mounting care debt and a cultural industry under severe pressure. Sweden’s defense capacity is also at risk of being affected by a strong second wave or extensive cluster outbreak: “Even in the non-military area, a strong second wave or extensive cluster outbreak can create vulnerabilities that are exploited by foreign powers “.

The report mentions, for example, cyber attacks or misinformation.

The material also expresses concern that Sweden would fare worse when it comes to buying vaccines if the planned EU acquisitions are unsuccessful in a second wave of “large magnitude”.

“Some players may also consider that Sweden does not deserve access to the existing offer due to the choice of a different strategy.”

The analysis was carried out in September, that is, before Sweden concluded four agreements on vaccines.

– For Sweden, it has been important not to close the country and not close the borders because our hope has been that together we can do this. It will undoubtedly be analyzed and investigated on how different countries have acted, says Backteman.

Elisabeth Backteman stresses that Government Offices are not concerned with forecasts, but rather about being prepared for what may happen.

– When working with crisis management, you should not only think here and now, you should also try to look around the corner and take into account worse situations.

Government documentation mentions far-reaching restrictions, such as “quarantine-oriented measures” to stop regional cluster infections. But the government has already judged that more may be needed. For this reason, a new pandemic law is currently being prepared that will come into effect no later than before the summer, for example, to be able to close restaurants and shopping centers if necessary.

According to the government forecast Starting in September, a deep recession is expected in the country in both 2020 and 2021. Sweden’s municipalities and regions, SKR, see a near future with many unemployed people having difficulty finding work.

– We are convinced that we will see the effects of the pandemic for a long time. In our latest financial report, we have a scenario where the economy did not recover until around 2024. Until then, we see high unemployment and inertia in the labor market, says chief economist Annika Wallenskog.

Another effect of the pandemic is the reduction of immigration, which runs the risk of giving fewer inhabitants, especially children and young people, in many municipalities, according to SKR.

– Affects the finances of municipalities with lower income from taxes, state subsidies and lower compensation from the Swedish Migration Board. One consequence of this may be that municipalities are forced to cut costs and reduce employees so as not to risk a deficit in the economy, says Annika Wallenskog.

The authorities who have Key roles in the pandemic are preparing for another year in which the effects of the virus dominate the entire development of society. During a press conference on Thursday with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (s) and Social Affairs Minister Lena Hallengren (s), the Director General of the Public Health Agency, Johan Carlson, said the pandemic is something to which Swedes have to get used to it.

– Even if we start getting vaccinated after weekends, it does not mean that the pandemic and the spread of the infection will disappear in society. We have a long, long way to go.

On Thursday, the government tasked the Swedish Public Health Agency with updating its scenarios at least every two months throughout 2021 on how the spread of the infection may unfold.

– The message is that these are restrictions and advice that in different ways must be maintained over the next few years, Carlson said.

The National Board of Health and Welfare also sees that the work done in 2020 should continue next year.

“We will have to deal with many of the consequences of the pandemic over a long period of time in the future, regardless of how the spread of the infection develops,” writes Chief of Staff Urban Lindberg in an email.

It particularly highlights the need to continue working against the spread of infection in the care of the elderly and that the improvements that have occurred with the strengthening of routines and access to tests and protective equipment must be maintained.

“The focus is on remaining sustainable, continuing to support health and care and ourselves and together with other actors we try to develop and complement with the tools we have.”

Regional state reports show constant concern about the lack of protective materials and personnel in health care. What is your assessment of these questions for next year?

“I understand that there is concern given the situation that arose last spring. My assessment is that our preparation is good now, in the municipalities and regions, but also with us in the National Board of Health and Welfare.”

The authority to Civil Protection and Emergency Preparedness, MSB, will continue to support socially important functions in the pandemic in 2021. At the same time, Alexandra Nordlander, unit manager at MSB, notes that society must also be prepared for further crises.

– In 2020, we have been quite spared of other crises and upheavals, but that is far from obvious. We must continue to deal with major storms, power outages, and terrorist attacks at the same time. And then you may need to handle it differently. During the forest fires, a lot of efforts came from other countries, it may not be possible in the same way now given the restrictions and other things.