The King of Sweden has condemned the country’s government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic on a day when new cases reached a record number.
“I think we have failed. There are a large number of people who have died and that is terrible. It is something we all share with suffering,” King Carl XVI Gustaf said in a Christmas interview on Swedish broadcaster SVT .
It is criticism that Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is being scrutinized for his coronavirus policy as cases escalate.
The Swedish state broadcaster (SVT) reported a record high of Covid-19 patients in the hospital this week and it was reported that some ICUs were in condition.
On Tuesday, Löfven acknowledged that his strategy to gain herd immunity had failed. “It’s proof that it’s a virus we didn’t know before and that it behaves in a way that many wouldn’t have thought of,” he said.
No blockade for Sweden: The country never entered a blockade during the first wave and reached the second when voluntary precautions were recommended at the regional level.
November restrictions: With the number of cases increased in November, the prime minister imposed a national ban on public meetings of more than eight people. More recently, he ordered the closure of theaters and entertainment venues and advised 13- to 15-year-old students to switch to online learning.
Christmas Meetings: But in private settings, people are only advised to “interact with each other in smaller circles,” according to government guidelines. During the Christmas holidays, people are urged not to meet with people outside their immediate circle. The use of a mask is not recommended.
Elevated deaths in care homes: An independent report by a special commission this week attributed the high number of deaths in homes to assistance to the “general spread of the virus in society.” He claims that the measures aimed at care homes were late despite early information that older people were particularly vulnerable.
Some conclusions have already been drawn about where we could have been better, ”Löfven said.
On Thursday, 8,815 new cases of Covid-18 were recorded, the highest number recorded in a 24-hour period since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Swedish Health Agency, which saw an increase of more than 2,000. cases with respect to last week. Sweden has had 7,893 deaths from the virus, more per capita than other Scandinavian countries.