Odd Man Out Sweden, hit by viruses, gets the show

Photographer: Jonathan Nackstarnd / AFP / Getty Images

Having arguably taken the world’s softest approach to treating the coronavirus pandemic, Sweden is tightening its grip.

As of Sunday, the government of Prime Minister Stefan Lofven may fine and close companies that do not comply with restrictions such as limits on visitors, as well as restrict private meetings, according to a new law that runs until September. You stop relying primarily on recommendations and trusting the people who follow them. Some claim that the health system is on the rise with the pressure and deaths are growing, it was too late.

“Like many places in Sweden ha après about the virus by the hard way, “said William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s School of Public Health in Boston, who has closely followed the country’s strategy.” Sweden was too slow. There was a ample evidence of the spring, in Sweden and elsewhere, of what could be expected in the autumn and winter if policy were not changed and these are the consequences. “

While pursuing its unusual strategy, Sweden questioned the decisions of other countries to blockade. Their path to mandatory restrictions has left the Nordic country with more than three times more deaths from viruses per capita than Denmark, the closest regional partner in terms of fatalities. Confidence in the government has waned and they have worsened with senior officials, including Lofven himself, violating his own rules. Even King Carl XVI Gustaf considered the nation’s response a failure.

As in the rest of the world, the pandemic-era debate has focused on balancing people’s health with the consequences of stopping economies. The Swedish economy has held up better than most, while deaths now exceed 9,600.

Nordic Outlier

The death toll from Covid-19 in Sweden is the highest in the Nordic countries

Source: Johns Hopkins University

Top epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, who in June labeled countries that opted for strict blockades as “crazy, ”he said the pandemic law should not be seen as a change of meaning, but an extension of what has already been done.

“We continue to work primarily with voluntary measures for people,” he said in an interview. “And we’re working primarily with the regulation of different types of agencies, different types of stores where regulations are needed to meet their obligations.”

One of Tegnell’s main detractors, Professor Bjorn Olsen of Uppsala University, said “the reality has come to the Public Health Agency.”

“They have been extremely stubborn in maintaining the strategy without listening or doing any external analysis,” he said.

Anders Litzen lost his mother Agnetha, 71, in the spring, sitting next to him for his last 16 hours with full protective gear. The 42-year-old, who lost his job due to the pandemic and started working as a runner in a hospital, said government communication has been too vague.

“My mother, and I think most Swedes, didn’t take it seriously,” Litzen said. “I can’t say that what Sweden did is right or wrong, but from a personal perspective I think when you want to send a message you have to be strong and clear.”

Lofven and health officials, facing initial criticism including President Donald Trump, acknowledged in April that the country had failed to protect its seniors in residences. Recently, a government-appointed commission came to a similar conclusion.

Sweden made “good decisions” to move toward stricter measures, Mike Ryan, head of the World Health Organization’s emergency program, said Monday.

“It is an example of the difficulty of maintaining public health and social measures that are determined solely by the will or determination of the individual to carry out those measures,” Ryan said. “Somehow, it tells us that in early 2021 it’s difficult, how difficult this environment is.”

Health versus Economy

The Nordic region’s largest economy has weathered the crisis better than most Western countries, with its factories less affected by supply disruptions in the latter part of 2020.

Differences in blocking strategies between the Nordic and Baltic countries were offset by their common dependence on manufacturing, so they have benefited from a recovery in world trade, according to Robert Bergqvist, chief economist at SEB AB . “As we summarize 2020, the industry has helped us withstand some of the recessions experienced in many other countries.”

Bounce after the holidays

Economic activity partially recovered in early January

Source: Bloomberg Economics, Google, Moovitapp.com, German statistical office, BloombergNEF, Indeed.com, Shoppertrak.com, Opportunity Insights

Low debt levels also allowed Sweden to trigger fiscal stimulus, with support from the Riksbank’s asset purchase program. While the pandemic law may require additional stimulus measures, “from an international perspective, Sweden will continue to have very strong central government finances,” Danske Bank said last week in its Nordic outlook.

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