From the BBC:
“Coronavirus:
Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf says coronavirus approach 'has failed'”
Sweden's king
has said his country "failed" to save lives with its relatively
relaxed approach to the coronavirus pandemic. King Carl XVI Gustaf made the
remarks as part of an annual TV review of the year with the royal family. Sweden,
which has never imposed a full lockdown, has seen nearly 350,000 cases and more
than 7,800 deaths - a lot more than its Scandinavian neighbours. Prime Minister
Stefan Lofven said he agreed with the king's remarks. "Of course the fact
that so many have died can't be considered as anything other than a
failure," Mr Lofven told reporters. Referring to the government's
strategy, Mr Lofven added that "it's when we are through the pandemic that
the real conclusions can be drawn". In the programme, the king says:
"I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died and that is
terrible. "The people of Sweden have suffered tremendously in difficult
conditions. One thinks of all the family members who have happened to be unable
to say goodbye to their deceased family members. I think it is a tough and
traumatic experience not to be able to say a warm goodbye." When asked if
he was afraid of being infected with Covid-19, the king - who is 74 - said:
"Lately, it has felt more obvious, it has crept closer and closer. That's
not what you want."
Instead of
relying on legal sanctions, Sweden appeals to citizens' sense of responsibility
and civic duty, and issues only recommendations. There are no sanctions if they
are ignored. Sweden has never imposed a nationwide lockdown or the wearing of
masks, and bars and restaurants have remained open. However, earlier this week,
schools across the Stockholm region were asked to switch to distance learning
for 13 to 15-year-olds for the first time as soon as possible. The measure was
announced in response to rising Covid-19 cases. This came a week after a
nationwide decision on 7 December to switch to remote learning for those over
16. And on Monday, new nationwide social-distancing recommendations for the
Christmas period came into force, replacing similar region-specific guidelines.
Swedes are advised to meet a maximum of eight people, gather outdoors if
possible and avoid travelling by train or bus. A formal ban on public
gatherings of more than eight people remains, affecting events such as
concerts, sports matches and demonstrations.
'Voluntary' Sweden's
state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, in November explained the strategy relied
on a combination of legal and voluntary measures. He told the BBC that
this was, in the Swedish context, "the combination that we really believe
is the best one". According to an official report released earlier
this week, the strategy failed in its effort to protect the elderly in care
homes - for which the government has admitted responsibility. Over 90%
of Covid-related deaths have been among those aged 70 and over, and nearly half
of all Covid deaths have been in care homes, the government says. Mr Tegnell said his agency (Sweden's
Public Health Agency) was not responsible for directing the elderly care
system, and added all stakeholders needed to help to improve the situation to
make sure the elderly did not get infected. He said he thought Sweden
had become better at protecting older people, and that no country had succeeded
entirely in that area - even Germany was being hit hard right now, he told
Swedish radio on Wednesday. Sweden is also said to have one of the
highest per capita Covid-19 death rates in the world, and has had more deaths
than the rest of the Nordic countries combined. This has led to criticism from
the country's neighbours, Norway, Denmark and Finland, that its less strict
approach is putting their own measures at risk. On Tuesday, Prime
Minister Lofven also said he felt many experts had underestimated the second
wave. "I think most in the profession did not see such a wave
incoming. There was instead talk of different clusters," he said in an
interview with daily Aftonbladet.
^ I am glad
that the Swedish King officially admitted what the rest of the world has known
for some time – that Sweden’s Covid-19 response was a failure and that most of
the infections and deaths there could have and should have been avoided. The
Politicians and Health “Experts” there should be held accountable for their
inactions. The Swedes themselves should also be held accountable - since they preferred to continue living
their life in a bubbled-reality with their heads in the sand to the reality
around them which also led to lots of infections and deaths. It is a sad period
in Swedish History and I hope they have learned their lesson. ^
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