"The curve is flat and the situation is stable," says Tegnell.
Sweden has attracted the whole world with its model after only a partial quarantine was introduced by the government there. High schools and colleges are closed, but primary schools up to the fifth grade function normally as well as all hotel and commercial institutions.
Sweden decided to maximize the protection of its most vulnerable population and advised the elderly not to go out and avoid unnecessary social contact with other people.
Currently, only over 14,000 have been infected and 1540 have died so far, far more than in other Scandinavian countries.
However, this is much less than in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom when the figures fit the population. Tegnell says the number of infected is no longer growing exponentially and that the situation is satisfactory.
"The curve of the infected and the lives lost is becoming softer, and the same is true for patients with intensive care," said Tegmark Wisell, head of the microbiology department at the Ministry of Health.
Just two weeks ago, the situation was much more dramatic, and even Prime Minister Stefan Lofwen was considering austerity measures. However, he decided to stick to his tactics, after which his public support increased significantly according to recent polls.
The main goal of the Swedish tactic was to prevent the overload of the health care system.
Swedish healthcare is among the best in the world and at no time during its coronavirus war did it end up in beds, intensive care units or essentials such as masks. Hospital tents were set up all over the country, just in case, but they remained completely empty.
The Swedes have great faith in the government, so Lofwen and his people played the card that citizens would listen to them. Nothing was clearly forbidden, and most of the measures were suggestions, such that the Swedes usually followed.
The tactic was also aided by the fact that more than half of the elderly Swedish-dominated families were home. Thus, the chance of transmitting the virus was lower. Also, Sweden is the country with the largest number of people working from home and have the best internet infrastructure, so even those who normally work in the office can work from home.
Although photos from Swedish cities show well-filled terraces with coffee, life in Sweden was not yet common. Travels from Stockholm to Gotland, a favorite destination during the Easter holidays, fell 96 percent, with mobile networks reporting a 75 percent drop in population movements in Stockholm.
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