Sweden's foreign minister says it's too early to judge the country's more lax approach to fighting the coronavirus, and that stricter measures may yet be enforced after five pubs in Stockholm were shut down for not keeping patrons far enough apart, The Guardian reported Monday
"There's been a lot of misunderstanding," said Ann Linde. "We have pretty much the same goals as every other government … And as we have always said, we are perfectly ready to go with more binding regulations if the population does not follow."
Sweden has relied on asking people to voluntarily avoid nonessential travel, to work from home and to stay home if they are elderly or have some other underlying health issue that would put them at risk. Most other countries, including their Nordic neighbors, have put those rules in the force of law rather than suggestion.
Sweden has closed senior schools and banned gatherings larger than 50 persons.
The death toll per million has stayed far below that of Spain and Italy, but surpassed their immediate neighbors, sparking criticism from health experts.
Sweden's goals were to "save lives, stop the virus from spreading, ensure the healthcare system can cope and mitigate the consequences for business and jobs," Linde told The Gardian, and must be sustainable long term. "This is a marathon, not a sprint."
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