COVID-19 outbreak: While India has taken prompt and stringent measures across states to curb the coronavirus pandemic, not all ‘developed’ countries have felt the need to do the same. Sweden has followed what is now being referred to as a ‘laissez faire’ approach in tackling the COVID-19 outbreak. ‘The Guardian’ reported that Prof Carl-Henrik Heldin, chairman of the Nobel Foundation, has asked the Swedish government to take containment measures. The same report in the Guardian quotes Prof Cecilia Soderberg-Naucier as stating that the country is not ‘testing enough, tracking or isolating enough’ and ‘we have let the virus loose’.
Coronavirus outbreak: No lockdown measures, masks, social distancing in Sweden
Believe it or not, there are no lockdown measures in Sweden nor are the Swedes wearing masks or worried about venturing out to buy essential supplies. Couples are seen strolling and visiting restaurants, according to a report in ‘New Europe.’
A logical question to ask: Why is Sweden taking it easy? Have there been no COVID-19 infections detected yet?
On the contrary, an article dated April 7, 2020 in ‘New Europe’ reports that Sweden has marked 7693 COVID-19 cases and 591 deaths due to the deadly virus! In fact, ‘The Local’ reports that Sweden is marking an average of over 40 deaths daily linked to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, according to an official statement by its health authorities.
How other European countries are fighting COVID-19
Notably, other governments in Europe opted to take drastic steps to curb any exposure to possible COVID-19 carriers, but Sweden is focused on isolating the infected and letting everything else remain status quo.
So, this means that Swedes are still socialising, visiting restaurants, attending schools and domestic flights are continuing in the Scandanavian nation.
Even as criticism mounts for Sweden’s ‘laissez faire’ approach to tackling the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has issued statements like “Things will get worse before they are better”. In fact, the UK’s Daily Mail report quotes the Prime Minister’s message to Swedish citizens, where he conveys that they have to be prepared for ‘thousands of deaths’ that the country may face as a backlash’ to its light COVID-19 response!
Clearly, Swedes are not going to stick to ‘social distancing’ like the rest of the world seems to have adapted to. Sweden is determined to tackle COVID-19 differently.
