Sweden said it didn't need a lockdown because people could be trusted to socially distance themselves. The government still says the strategy is working.

Business Insider via MSN ^ | 04/10/2020 | Sinéad Baker, Business Insider US

[SeekAndFind]

• Sweden is sticking with its unusual coronavirus strategy, relying on people to take responsibility and follow guidelines instead of implementing lockdown measures like most other countries with outbreaks have done.
• There’s only a handful of restrictions in place, like a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, while shops, restaurants, bars, and schools remain open.
• The government has defended its strategy and says people are following its advice, while statistics have suggested that many people are taking social-distancing steps like avoiding public transport.
• Sweden’s Parliament is also moving to give the government powers to quickly introduce more restrictions if needed, though the government has indicated it does not have any plans to use them.
• The country has seen over 790 coronavirus deaths, and some experts have expressed alarm. The World Health Organization is calling on Sweden to urgently take more action.
• Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Sweden’s government is continuing its unusual coronavirus strategy of refusing to implement a lockdown, saying that people in the country are doing a good enough job of staying apart even as places like bars and restaurants remain open.

The country defied much of the rest of the world by not introducing lockdown measures forcing people to stay apart.

Its actions also went against almost all of the rest of Europe, where the worst-hit countries have put extreme restrictions on people leaving their homes and most others have at least closed bars and restaurants and limited gatherings of people.

It also contrasts hugely with neighboring Denmark, which put restrictions in place even before its first death and is now slowly lifting restrictions.

[AppyPappy]

Fatality rates since 3/22
FatalityRate%
1.09
1.32
1.74
2.45
2.5
3
3.05
2.97
3.62
4.06
4.83
5.53
5.84
5.79
5.87
6.62
7.68
8.16
8.68
8.98

[AppyPappy]

Can goats get the virus? Asking for a friend

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Most people seem to miss the glaring point.

The choice was, postpone deaths and wreck the economy, or have more early deaths and keep from wrecking the economy?

Sweden chose to allow more early deaths, gambling on having lots fewer later. The US chose to spread them out, longer.

For all places, as long as the treatment facilities don’t get completely overwhelmed, without a vaccine, either choice should lead to about the same deaths per capita when this is over.

So Sweden has a higher death rate now, per capita, than US and neighbors who chose more draconian lockdowns. Duh. No shiite, Sherlock. The test is, will they be over it, sooner?

Yes. And they won’t have 30% unemployment and a giant crash in Quality Of Life.

The Faucis of this world, many here apparently, said it would lead to horror in the streets, bodies piling up. That we had no choice!!! Med centers will be overwhelmed, millions dying!!! No ventilators! They screamed when some states said, naw. Doom and gloom forecast!!! Bodies piling up!!! Just watch!!! Excess deaths from lack of treatment!!!

WRONG.

[oincobx]

“Sweden is sticking with its unusual coronavirus strategy, relying on people to take responsibility and follow guidelines...like a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people”

But a good portion of this forum feel that such a restriction imposes on their freedom, so such a plan wouldn’t work here.

[Hieronymus]

A simplistic approach would say that therefore, based on these statistics, Sweden’s approach has cost about 400 lives, roughly 4 per 100,000.

All I will say is that while I am not a professional economist, I have a very good undergraduate level training in it from an Ivy League school and at some point after my undergraduate education learned to think really, really critically, and my conclusion is that I at least do not have enough information to draw a conclusion at this point and am inclined to treat anyone who thinks that they do, at least based on the figures that you present without further context, as if they are about 3 years old. Smile, nod, and get on with life. And be really glad one is not in charge in either Sweden or Denmark.

Personally, I’d rather live in Sweden, and that’s saying a lot because my father’s background is Norwegian. But there is a difference between a personal choice that is based on SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) and solid statistical analysis.

[Hieronymus]

I wouldn’t disagree.