Summary

• Sweden chose a different approach to fight COVID-19 pandemic by leaving its country open for anyone who was not afraid of the novel virus.
• The coronavirus precautions were recommended by the authorities but did not become mandatory at any point.
• Other European countries experienced a much bigger damage than Sweden, even though their approach was, and still is, frowned upon by many.
• As Sweden mostly relies on exporting its goods, due to the movement restriction, the GDP fall is believed to be greater than it would be without the restriction.

The pandemic in Europe took a much bigger toll than in Australia. Most countries in the European Union (including the UK) had taken precautions and put countries in quarantine before it was too late.

Also Read: When Will A Covid-19 Vaccine Be Available In Britain?

Unlike many other nations, Sweden was one of the few that chose to leave the country open to its citizens, but at what cost?

By definition, lockdowns and movement restrictions were designed to prevent the countries’ health care systems to become overwhelmed. From the start, Sweden has been clear about its intentions regarding the pandemic, stating that it did not create the measures to save the economy, but to make long-term actions that would be more sustainable.

Educational sector was the only division that had to temporarily shut down. Primary school pupils who were younger than 15 could still normally attend school. Older generations (70 years and older) were advised to self-isolate.

Swedish authorities also recommended social distancing measures and wearing a mask, but they were not enforcing them on people. The authorities placed their complete trust in the Swedish citizens.

Interesting Read: Social Distancing Norms and How It Has Been Impacting the Lives Amid Covid-19

Important statistics

Compared to other European countries, Sweden had a smaller drop in GDP. With an 8.6 percentage, it is one of the few countries that ended with better GDP. Just for the comparison – Spain’s GDP decreased by 18.5% in the second quarter, which is more than the double.

Even though the Swedish economy did better than other EU nations, it still experienced the biggest GDP backlash since 1980.

The total of 27 countries within the EU experienced an 11.9% fall in GDP in the second quarter. As for the UK, its GDP shrunk by a record 20.4%. It is believed that no other major nation suffered as much economic damage as the UK did.

With a more open approach, the Swedes were hoping that not as many people would lose their jobs and the economy would be more stimulated than in lockdown.

Due to a great reliance on exporting their goods, the Swedish economy became more vulnerable, just like other Nordic countries (e.g. Norway, Denmark). It is believed that Sweden would not do as bad during the pandemic if its trade partners had a better situation, as most of the Swedish businesses (restaurants, gyms) remained the same.

Did You Read? Global and domestic GDP projections dwindle amid coronavirus

Death toll

As noted on 4 September 2020, 5,832 have died in Sweden, due to the complications caused by the coronavirus. Compared to other Nordic countries, the Swedish death toll is the highest when compared to its population.

As of 15 May, 35 people out of 100,000 natives were dying in Sweden, which is a lot more than Denmark’s 9.3 or Norway’s 5.2, according to the reports.

Some experts believe that the death toll could have been a lot lesser than the current 5,832; while some of them argue that stricter lockdowns would not change the death toll by much margin.

Surprisingly, when all things considered, not many Swedish people died, or at least many more were expected to, due to lesser restrictions. One of the factors could also be that Sweden’s ICU departments were prepared for the worst, and they did not have problems like lack of hospital beds.

The other thing that surely helped was the Swedish mentality and the people’s will to practice social distancing even though it was not mandatory. With less contact, there were less dangerous situations, hence why the death toll was not as big and puts Sweden on the 39th place on the Worldometer, the webpage where people can follow live updates about COVID-19.

Do Read; Global Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 1 Lakh

So far, so good

Unlike the UK, Australia, and many other nations across the world that declared a state of recession, Sweden is still going strong and reported a 0.1% growth in their economy in the first quarter (the recession marks two quarters that are both reduced).

Learn: What is recession?

What seems to be the biggest challenge for Sweden is the unemployment rate, that is currently around 9%. The figure went up from the latest known percentage in March, which was 7.1%.

After other Nordic countries put Swedish export and tourism on a green list, it is believed that more people will get their jobs back and that the economy will be better stimulated.

Do Read: UK is Undergoing Economic Recession