HOW SWEDEN TREATED WITH THE CROWN

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Sweden is one of the few countries that has chosen its own path in the fight against coronavirus infection. The kingdom did not begin to close in deaf quarantine and relied on isolation measures voluntarily taken by residents.

Why did the Swedes decide to afford such a thing, what does the Swedish plan actually look like, and what results does it bring so far? Let's figure it out. In terms of demographic, economic and political indicators, Sweden was one of the countries most prepared for the epidemic. In the Johns Hopkins University ranking of countries' preparedness for a wide variety of health hazards, Sweden is ranked seventh in the world and third in Europe, after the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The network wants such memes that the Swedes practiced social distancing long before the COVID-19 pandemic. 52 percent of Swedish households are made up of one person - significantly more than the European average (33 percent), the population density is 23 people per square kilometer (159th in the world).

In addition, the proportion of people regularly working remotely has grown rapidly in Sweden over the past ten years. According to some data, by 2018 it became the first in Europe: according to the survey, the share of working from home was 20 percent, and 68 percent of the Swedes surveyed resorted to "remote work" from time to time.

So when the epidemic came to the country, it was not difficult for them to increase this parameter: after the government's recommendations in mid-March, more than 90 percent of employees of large Stockholm companies switched to remote work.

It is also important that the Swedes, like other inhabitants of the Nordic countries, trust government institutions and each other most of all in the world. In March 2020, 74 percent of Swedes surveyed trusted the Public Health Agency, and 53 percent personally trusted Anders Tegnell, the country's chief state epidemiologist. Swedish citizens expect their government to make reasonable recommendations and are willing to follow them.

The first imported case of coronavirus in Sweden was registered on February 28, more than a month after the start of the lockdown in Wuhan and against the backdrop of an already accelerating epidemic in Italy. On March 10, the Swedish authorities raised the risk of direct transmission of the virus to the maximum - the number of confirmed diseases in the country by this time was already 345.

On the 11th, WHO recognizes coronavirus infection as a pandemic, and the first patient is already dying in Sweden. A week later, the Swedish authorities admit that the disease has begun to spread between the residents of Stockholm. On May 12, the number of cases in Sweden exceeded 27 thousand, and the deaths are already more than three thousand.

Let's see what exactly the Swedish authorities have banned:

• March 27 (16th day since the first death in the country) - events for 50+ people;

• March 31 (20th day) - visits to nursing homes: as officials admit, with a delay, which has already led to an increase in the number of deaths by one and a half times;

• also March 31 - travel within the country.

• On March 24, bars and restaurants were obliged to control the number of visitors, the distance between tables, prohibit drinking at the counter, and remove buffets. Some cafes and restaurants, however, were closed anyway - there were much fewer visitors.

Wherein:

• Closed or suspended work of many enterprises, including the factories "Volvo" and "Scania";

• Some of the cinemas and museums were closed;

• Many shops have reduced opening hours;

• University campuses did not close - although everyone switched to distance learning after the authorities recommended it;

• Kindergartens and primary schools continue to operate, although due to the pandemic, parents were allowed to leave their children at home without the risk of sanctions (in Sweden, truancy is punishable by fines or even exceptions); Here is what Dmitry, a resident of Stockholm, writes:

“In schools and kindergartens, children are now not allowed even with minimal snot (previously, no problems at all). They are asked to leave and pick up only on the street. They are also told about the virus (at least at school) and taught to wash their hands correctly. Otherwise unchanged"

• Movement around the city is not prohibited. Foreign Minister Ann Linde explained this decision to the journalist as follows: "People need to leave their homes, as being locked up increases the risk of depression, domestic violence and alcohol abuse." But the Swedes have still minimized their street activity: in the epicenter of the Swedish epidemic, Stockholm, it has decreased by 75 percent, and trips to the main tourist destination Stockholm-Gotland at Easter were 96 percent less than in previous years;

• Wearing masks is not included in the list of recommendations and few people use them;

• The Swedes did not close their national borders, believing that movement within countries would contribute more to the spread of the virus.