Sweden’s population, had recorded just 615. Sweden was seen as a covid-19 super-
spreader. In June, when the others reopened their borders to European travellers, they
kept them largely closed to Swedes.
Yet over the summer Sweden’s infection rate fell along with those in the rest of Europe.
When the pandemic’s second wave arrived in late August, it was Denmark that had the
worst outbreak in the Nordic region. About half of Sweden’s covid-19 deaths had been
in care homes, a result mainly of negligence and bad luck rather than policy. Swedes
were moving around more than citizens of other Nordic states, but otherwise their
social-distancing practices were not too different. Had they been right all along?
Probably not. For the economy, eschewing a lockdown merely postponed the damage.
Sweden’s GDP and employment rate stayed buoyant in March but dropped when
infections rose, even as the other Nordics rebounded. Containing the virus allowed the
others to reopen their schools quickly, too. Tests in August showed that even in hard-hit
Stockholm, less than a quarter of residents had antibodies to covid-19, far from the
rates needed for herd immunity.
In 2021 Sweden’s neighbours will not imitate its policies. The Nordics trust each other
less than before. “It was worrying that we had to take different pathways,” says Mika
Salminen of Finland’s Institute for Health and Welfare, which advises the government
on covid-19 policies. If infection rates diverge again, there will be new travel
restrictions. Another legacy is a hit to Sweden’s strict, hygienic image. “It’s very strange
that Sweden is the big risk-taker among the Nordics—they’ve always been the safe
player,” says Asne Seierstadt, a Norwegian journalist.
Yet the Swedes seem happy with their rebel status. In 2021 they will stick with their
lenient measures, including shorter quarantines (of just seven days). The strategy
retains overwhelming approval at home, and Anders Tegnell, the country’s infection-
control chief, has become a national icon. The Nordic split shows that in public health,
communication and trust are as important as results.
| Section menu | Main menu |