PandemicCOVID-19: The Swedish Model
In the spring of 2020, as it was deciding on what policies to take to deal with the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, the Swedish government chose a different path to many other countries, one based on a voluntary approach and personal responsibility rather than more intrusive measures. The Swedish government has created a commission of experts to assess whether the Swedish model of dealing with the pandemic was reasonable and effective.
In the spring of 2020, as it was deciding on what policies to take to deal with the spreading COVID-19 pandemic, the Swedish government chose a different path to many other countries, one based on a voluntary approach and personal responsibility rather than more intrusive measures.
The majority of other countries relied more heavily on lockdowns or other intrusive regulatory interventions.
Whether Sweden’s chosen path was reasonable and effective, or whether it would have been better to introduce other measures to limit the spread of the virus, is the question the Swedish Coronavirus Commission – a commission of experts in various disciplines, appointed by the government in the summer – is investigating.
The Commission has just issued the first of 3-part report, which examines the initial steps taken by the government in the spring and summer of 2020. The Commission says that it will address the broader question – the wisdom and effectiveness of the Swedish unique approach – in the final installment of the report. To address that question, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of what information key decision-makers had, on which they based their assessments regarding disease prevention, disease containment, and control measures during the different phases of the pandemic.
Pandora Report notes that several other aspects of Sweden’s handling of the crisis, moreover, remain to be investigated and assessed. These include, in particular, the impacts of the emergency on the economy and personal finances, and what capacity the Swedish machinery of government and its institutions had to manage a crisis.
The Commission said that only after such a thorough investigation would it be possible to assess whether the path chosen by Sweden represented a reasonable balance between effective disease prevention and control and other societal and economic interests.
Here is the introductory section of the report’s first installment:
Sweden represents an average European country as far as numbers of deaths during the first and second waves of the pandemic are concerned. During the third wave, mortality has been low and, up to now, Sweden has fared better than most countries in Europe.
