Ross: How Sweden has dealt with virus without a lockdown
Apr 28, 2020, 8:40 AM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 6:42 am
People gather for a drink at an outdoor bar in Stockholm, Sweden. (Anders Wiklund/TT via AP)
(Anders Wiklund/TT via AP)
I ran across this YouTube diary about how Sweden is handling the COVID outbreak.
The people in the video were getting these texts from their American friends, asking about “death and destruction everywhere” in Sweden.
That’s because in Sweden, there’s no lockdown. High schools and night clubs are closed, but primary schools are open, restaurants are open, and there are lots of people out and about.
“I’m riding my bike today, people are out in the park with their kids, restaurants are open,” one of the people in the video diary boasted.
They admit they have a higher death rate than the U.S., mostly concentrated in Stockholm and largely attributed to outbreaks in nursing homes.
But they say that unlike the U.S. lock down – which will have to end pretty soon because of the economic damage – Sweden’s approach could continue indefinitely and might ultimately save more lives.
“We might look back at the video a year from now and be like, ‘what the heck were we thinking,'” the people in the video noted. “I think we’ll have a lot of thumbs down.”
But they’ve had 182,000 views so far and of those who voted, 85% were thumbs up.
DISCLAIMER: We are not public health experts, this is simply our commentary on this subject. Sweden’s strategy may not work for all countries. Please respect your country’s health recommendations and guidelines.
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