The Swedish Experiment: The country that did not enter a lockdown

Anxiety; Absolutely none. Worry; Zero. In Sweden it turns out that the inclusive individual responsibility coexists, in a polite way, with the corresponding social one, solving all the possible problems that will probably arise, instead of creating new and perhaps even more intractable ones.

Case in point, the approach of the Swedes and the government itself to the so-called fourth wave of coronavirus which (they tell us) comes to us in winter: Scandinavian coolness and infinite relaxation.

Is this, after all, the secret to tackling pandemics? To be cool and just have confidence in the measures of the experts?

Certainly, however, whatever happens in the winter, the Sweden will not follow the example of other states: no matter how much it is affected by Delta mutation, has explicitly and categorically ruled out any possibility of imposing a lockdown in the country.

For example, as it typically states in Extensive article in the British Telegraph by journalist Richard Orange, a littlebefore the start of the new school year at the Sogenfrey School in Malm., “the only obvious measure against Covid is a ban on parents entering the school building.”

The parents next to him leave their children just as relaxed: “I’m not worried at all,” 35-year-old Elin Brusevic tells him. “I’m probably a typical Swede: I’m not worried, unless the authorities tell me I’m worried.”

The government of the time was clear about the pandemic: it decided not to shut down either its economy or its society. He kept bars and restaurants and shopping malls and schools open throughout the pandemic and of course was criticized for it. Many were the ones who hurried to insult the “Swedish model”.

And while hundreds of millions of people around the world have been forced to flee their homes since March 2020, in Sweden, in the 18 months since the first case was reported, little has changed in the lives and daily lives of its ten million citizens ( almost the same population as Greece).

According to the British publication, according to the latest poll by the Swedish Civil Protection Service conducted in mid-June, “66% of Swedes are not worried about the consequences of the pandemic on themselves and their families”.

And at the same time, “Sweden’s Tsiodras”, Anders Tegnel, the country’s leading epidemiologist and inspirer of its anti-pandemic strategy, was voted “the most important Swede of 2020” by the readers of the magazine of the country’s top supermarket chain .

Drinkers

Of course, this does not mean that there were no victims of the coronavirus in the country – that was missing. Some 15,000 people have died in recent months, but the death toll is well below the European average. Wasn’t the “Swedish model” such a bad idea after all? Especially since, as Orange says, “the benefits of the Swedish approach are visible in the economy, in the psychological state of citizens and in schools.”

At the end of the first wave of the pandemic, the IMF had predicted that by 2020 the Swedish economy would shrink by 7%. This figure has been refuted in practice: the country’s GDP fell by just 2.8%, well below the European average of 6%. The Swedish economy has recovered faster than any other in Europe, as by last June, GDP had exceeded the level it was at before the pandemic broke out. In addition, it is estimated that the Swedish economy will grow by the end of 2021 by 4.6%!

Away from massive κ nervous shocks

The impact of the pandemic on the psychological state of the citizens was also limited, which is largely due to the decision to keep schools of all levels open. “We are very happy that we kept our schools open. I think this is something very important for the psychological health of all of us “, noted Sara Bifos, senior health official, admitting meaningfully:

“It simply came to our notice then [η πανδημία] “It really had a big impact on the elderly who were isolated, and we know that it also affected a lot of children, especially if they were in the last grades and had to attend their classes remotely.”

Citizens, however, still believe that their government has indeed made every effort to tackle the pandemic as best it can – and this is extremely important because it positively fuels state-citizen relations.

“Sweden has implemented the best policy against coronavirus. In Denmark, in Norway, in France, in Belgium, anywhere else, I would be forced to close. “I am so happy to be living in Sweden,” concludes Zaina Vuitsis, owner of a small beauty salon in central Malm..