According to the New York Times , Denmark and Norway have closed borders, restaurants, ski resorts, and asked students to stay home to prevent the corona virus from spreading, Sweden has just closed high and secondary schools. school, still for preschools, elementary schools, restaurants, pubs operate, as well as to open borders.

In fact, Sweden is still maintaining an unusually normal pace while neighboring countries in Scandinavia or elsewhere in Europe have enacted a series of tough measures, including national blockade.

The Swedish approach now raises the question of whether they are "betting" with Covid-19, a disease that has no cure or vaccine, or is this a special strategy to combat the epidemic? of the European nation.

As of March 28, Norway (5.3 million) had more than 3,770 cases of Covid-19 and 19 di‌ed, Denmark (5.6 million) recorded 2,200 virus infections and 52 deaths. Sweden (10.12 million people) has 3,060 cases of corona virus infection and 105 deaths.

The Danish newspaper Politiken raised the question: "Does Sweden consider Covid-19 to be a serious translation?". In fact, according to the New York Times , there is no evidence that Sweden overlooked the plague that has spread globally.

The Swedish government and its health officials still emphasize anti-epidemic measures against people by washing their hands, social isolation and protecting people over 70 by limiting their contact with them.

However, the pace of life in Sweden is considered to be no different from usual. Cafes still have groups of guests. Children still play in the playground. Restaurants, gyms, shopping malls, ski resorts do not seem too crowded, but still operate normally. 

Swedish epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, said in an interview that the country’s strategy was based on science.

"We are trying to slow the spread of pathogens just enough to cope with the increasing number of patients," said Tegnell, adding that Sweden’s approach is based on " self-restraint and sense of responsibility ”of the people. 

“That’s how we operate in Sweden. Our entire infectious disease control system is based on volunteering, ”explained Mr. Tegnell.

“You give people options for them to do the best in their lives. That is very effective, in our experience, ”the expert said.

According to the New York Times , the Swedish approach shows the difference with many countries in the world but it is too early to say whether their method will bring the same results as other countries.

Tourists wear masks in an old town in Stockholm (Image: AFP)

The Swedish campaign was made possible because the country was highly reliable, according to historian Lars Tragardh. In addition, Sweden has a constitutional provision that prohibits the government from interfering with the affairs of an administrative body, such as a public health agency.

Mr. Tragardh said that the level of Sweden’s confidence is shown by not only people trusting state agencies and vice versa, but that high level of trust also exists among citizens.

Sweden banned events from gathering over 500 people. However, at the outset, some organizers said they would limit the number of participants to 499. Tegnell said that was the reason the ban was ineffective because "people would try to slip away." the law".

“Closing the border at the time of the pandemic when all countries were closed, to me, it doesn’t mean much. We are no longer in the stage of disease prevention, but now in the stage of damage reduction, ”said Mr. Tegnell.

According to a survey published by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper earlier this week, 52% of Swedes were asked to support the government’s methods. However, some skeptics say Sweden has a different approach to the rest because it may be following a "community immunity" campaign. The Swedish public health agency rejected this hypothesis.

In the current context, the graph of the number of infections in Sweden is starting to show signs of climbing up. On March 27, Sweden issued a ban on gathering with a group of over 50 people.

Elisabeth Hatlem, a hotel owner, agrees and disagrees with the Swedish approach. She was satisfied with the fact that she was still able to open a business, but she did not want to bring her six children to school amidst the epidemic.  

“For us, the whole blockade is a disaster. However, I am also worried about the potential for a further outbreak in Sweden in the future, ”said Hatlem.