Enjoying a glass of glögg (mulled wine with spices) at Lilla Torg, a historic market place in Malmö, southern Sweden, Britta and Inger discuss the last screw-up announced a few days earlier by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven , to curb an alarming spread of the coronavirus in the kingdom. No gathering of more than eight people, closing of bars and restaurants at 10 p.m. have been decided in particular. “Our freedom is more and more restricted, but we are still lucky compared to other countries in Europe,” says Britta. ” Until when ? »Asks his girlfriend, concerned by the worrying increase in contamination in recent weeks.
The Swedish experience in the fight against the pandemic, at the antipodes of other countries, is a failure proclaim its detractors. The Scandinavian kingdom has adopted since March a singular policy in Europe advocated by the chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency, a “guru” who refuses any containment and that government, Parliament and population scrupulously follow his recommendations . Clearly, the Swedes must, according to him, learn to live with the Covid-19 by keeping an open society with its shops, restaurants, kindergartens, schools and workplaces, focusing on respect for barrier gestures and hygiene and the responsibility of citizens.
“Long-term strategy”
Even at the height of the epidemic in April, he stayed the course and kept the confidence of politicians, defending his “long-term strategy”, despite strong criticism, especially from twenty-two renowned scientists denouncing his “flawed strategy. “And urging the political power” to take control “. Betting on collective immunity to prevent a second wave in the fall, he predicted that 40% of the inhabitants of Stockholm – the main source of contamination in the country – should be immunized. A forecast contradicted by a report by the Swedish Public Health Agency revealing that only 7.3% of residents of the capital tested had developed antibodies to the virus.
The summer lull, when Sweden recorded some of the lowest contamination rates in Europe, galvanized the emblematic figure of the kingdom in the fight against the pandemic, architect of a model praised by foreign media. But the strong resumption of the epidemic since the end of October has cast doubt on the controversial strategy of Mr. Tegnell. “We see no evidence that we have immunity right now in the population that is slowing the spread of the virus,” he acknowledged.
“A worsening situation”
An admission of failure for the head of government who took over the helm, multiplying last week interventions in front of the press to warn against “a worsening situation” and deciding alone, for the first time, to ban meetings of more than eight people, which is not a recommendation of the health authorities. “Do not go to the gym, nor to the swimming pool, to the library, do not organize parties,” he begs his compatriots, especially young people, who have been less vigilant since the summer. “We see that our recommendations are no longer respected as much,” he laments, “which forces us to introduce more very intrusive and unprecedented restrictions to break the curve. [de la pandémie]. It’s hard, brutal, but necessary, ”he hammered last Sunday in his second speech to the nation since March.
With 230,514 contaminations on November 25 (+ 4,954) and 6,555 deaths (+ 55, including more than 5,000 people over 70 years old), Sweden (10.3 million inhabitants) has more than four more deaths than all of its 16 million Nordic neighbors (Denmark, Finland, Norway). “We are on a steep slope which continues to rise,” Mr. Tegnell warned on Tuesday on public television SVT, calling for “to reduce all social contact”.
“It is important that we cooperate so that the curve flattens out,” he said, hoping that Sweden “will soon approach a peak and follow the same scenario experienced in several European countries that have started to record a decline after a few weeks of resumption of the epidemic ”. Cautious, he warns against any excessive optimism. “I think it’s very important not to believe this time around either that the pandemic is over just because the contaminations are receding. This disease has had an amazing ability to come back in different ways. We must not lose our grip as the WHO says ”, to avoid a third wave.
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