And let’s not forget that Sweden’s economy is in better shape than the rest of Europe’s. From Ian Birrell at dailymail.com:
- Swedish health experts say struggle against pandemic is ‘marathon not a sprint’
- The country has one of the highest death rates from coronavirus in the world
- Anders Tegnell’s refusal to impose lockdown is held up by critics as a warning
- But is it possible the Scandinavian nation made the right call in the long-term?
As she sat dangling her legs over the water while waiting for the ferry back to Stockholm, Carolinne Liden looked a picture of contentment after a day out on a sunny Swedish island.
But the pandemic has been tough for this young mother. She works in film production, so all her contracts were cancelled and she had to take a job in an equine shop to make ends meet.
Her partner Tobias Moe, a freelance photographer, also saw his income fall.
Yet when I asked this affable couple about Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist steering their country’s strategy for tackling this crisis, their reply was instant. ‘He’s a hero,’ said Carolinne, 35.
Supportive views: Film production worker Carolinne Liden and her photographer partner Tobias Moe
‘It is such a huge responsibility to take these decisions that affect the whole country and I like the way he sticks to his guns even if he gets a lot of criticism.’
Such adulation for a scientist – echoed in less adulatory terms by other day-trippers I met on the islands of Fjaderholmarna last week – might seem strange to outsiders. Sweden has one of the highest global death rates from coronavirus.
Sweden REALITY vs New Zealand, USA and rest of the world, is Science, and common sense vs Stupids. 9 minute video with FACTS.