STOCKHOLM – Sweden’s king says his country has failed to manage Kovid-19, with epidemic policy sharply criticized for blaming partly on the number of deaths among the elderly.
“I believe we have failed,” Raja said in an excerpt from a program aired by SVT on Wednesday. The full show will air on December 21st.
Carl XVI Gustaf, whose son and daughter-in-law tested positive last month, used the annual Royal Christmas TV to highlight the growing influence of the virus, whose duty is largely in the rare intervention of mon monarchs.
Sweden largely opens schools, restaurants and businesses away from lockdowns and face masks from most countries and relies primarily on voluntary social distance and hygiene recommendations to slow the spread.
An official commission said on Tuesday that systemic shortcomings in the care of the elderly and inadequate measures by the government and agencies have contributed to Sweden’s particularly high mortality rate in nursing homes.
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“We’ve had a large number of deaths and it’s terrible. This is the only thing that hurts us all.”
Sweden has reported more than 7,800 deaths, much higher than the per capita rate of its Nordic neighbors but lower than Britain, Italy, Spain or France, which have all opted for lockdown.
The 74-year-old king has no formal formal political power and rarely makes any comments on current and political issues, although he has addressed the nation during the outburst.
In the spring, the government’s response to the epidemic was widely supported by the Swedish people, who entered a lockdown in much of Europe.
But the growing number of deaths – especially among elderly residents of care homes – has drawn growing criticism.
A poll in the daily Dagens Nhટરtter on Thursday showed that a third of Swedes had high levels of confidence in the authorities’ control of the epidemic, down from 9% in March and 56% after a summer infection.
