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In Sweden, bars and restaurants are open to the public, you can go get a haircut, and primary school is in session. The coronavirus has arrived, but life goes on. The country has taken a lighter-than-most approach to social distancing for COVID-19, relying on people to monitor themselves for symptoms, stay home when ill, practice good handwashing, and avoid crowds. You see very few masks on people's faces in current photos from Stockholm and other Swedish cities. It's a strategy that hasn't been employed in neighboring Finland or Norway, and it's one that some Swedish parents (keeping their kids out...

In most countries in Europe and North America, governments have imposed lockdowns of their populations and economies. At first glance, this strategy would seem to strike a reasonable, if painful, bargain: pay the price of (hopefully temporary) limits on civil liberties and economic recession (if not depression) to slow virus spread. The price has been very high. In the U.S. alone, the bill has already reached trillions of dollars of lost economic activity and tens of millions out of work. The material pain may go beyond economic insecurity. Many Americans face the real prospect of food shortages. Sweden, however, has...

The World Health Organization lauded Sweden as a “model” for battling the coronavirus as countries lift lockdowns — after the nation controversially refused restrictions. Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergencies expert, said Wednesday there are “lessons to be learned” from the Scandinavian nation, which has largely relied on citizens to self-regulate. “I think there’s a perception out that Sweden has not put in control measures and just has allowed the disease to spread,” Ryan told reporters. “Nothing can be further from the truth.” Ryan noted that instead of lockdowns, the country has “put in place a very strong public...

Sweden's top virologist has admitted he is 'not convinced at all' that the country's lockdown-free strategy is right - as Sweden saw a sharp fall in its daily death toll and number of new infections today. The Scandinavian country has become a closely-watched case after keeping bars, restaurants and secondary schools open throughout the pandemic. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell has become the face of that strategy, but he admitted in an interview with Aftonbladet that he was not sure if it was right. 'I'm not convinced at all. We are constantly thinking about this at the [public health agency]. What...

While Just 40% of 15-29 year olds state that the Swedish response has been sufficient, the corresponding figure is 61% for those above 70. Sweden’s approach to managing the coronavirus outbreak has received considerable attention. In contrast to other countries, Sweden has relied on recommendations about social distancing rather than restricting people’s movements, trusting citizens to follow the official advice. While other countries have closed businesses, much remains up and running in Sweden, including cafes and bars. People are advised to limit their movements but not required to stay at home. Within Sweden, the strategy has spurred a heated debate...

Conservatives have developed a fascination with Sweden’s hands-off approach to the coronavirus — an unexpected twist for a country that once served as a Republican punchline for Bernie Sanders jokes. On the surface, Sweden’s approach to containing the coronavirus pandemic is a libertarian dream: Restaurants remain open, as long as they adhere to social-distancing rules. Schools are in session. Salons are in business. And by some metrics, Sweden has fared roughly as well as many of its European neighbors, all of which have instituted much stricter lockdown measures. The combination has made Sweden an object of curiosity — and a...

The Swedish city of Lund is to spread chicken manure in its central park in an effort to deter crowds gathering for a festival. Tens of thousands of people usually descend on southern city to celebrate Walpurgis Night, which is marked across Scandinavia. But officials want to keep people away because of the coronavirus outbreak. There is no lockdown in Sweden, where data show most people have taken to voluntary social distancing. "Lund could very well become an epicentre for the spread of the coronavirus on the last night in April," the chairman of the local council's environment committee, Gustav...

Sweden has been an outlier during the coronavirus outbreak. The country has not joined many of its European neighbors in imposing strict limits on citizens' lives, and images of people heading to work on busy streets, or chatting at cafes and bars have raised eyebrows. Younger children have continued to go to school, although universities and schools for older students have switched to distance learning. Businesses — from hair salons to restaurants — have remained open, although people have been advised to work from home where possible. On April 7, the government introduced a bill allowing it to act quickly...

The number of deaths with the coronavirus has risen to 2,274 in Sweden. Mondays usually see a small rise due to a reporting lag over weekends. "Since we don't have much data from which to draw conclusions today, we'll go directly to this image which shows our strategy, to flatten the curve so much that the healthcare sector can deal with the situation. That's our goal, along with protecting those that are especially vulnerable to serious illness," said deputy state epidemiologist Anders Wallensten, referring to the image below. Wallensten emphasised that anyone with any symptoms of illness, including very mild...

Around Stockholm lately it appears as if a growing number of people are moving on from the early depths of coronavirus anxiety. Sweden has maintained a higher degree of normalcy than most other countries over the past six weeks, but just as in most places movement has been down, travel all but stopped, and consumer spending much reduced. Though Swedes are still encouraged to keep a distance, work from home and avoid non-essential travel as before, there are signs that many are now deciding to get back to something resembling life before the virus. It’s unclear whether that’s warranted or...

Sweden's ambassador to the U.S. believes the country's controversial strategy of imposing only limited restrictions — and not locking down the country — is bearing success, with the capital, Stockholm, on course to reach herd immunity in the next few weeks. "About 30% of people in Stockholm have reached a level of immunity," Karin Ulrika Olofsdotter told NPR. "We could reach herd immunity in the capital as early as next month."

Different countries report coronavirus cases and deaths in different ways, which can easily lead to confusion and makes comparing the situation complicated. Here's a look at what you need to know in order to understand how the Swedish figures are reported.

...What is the biggest misconception you have seen about the Swedish strategy? I'm speaking in general, because there have been a lot of articles written about Sweden in foreign media lately. The biggest myth and misconception is that life goes on as normal in Sweden. It absolutely does not. We have seen Easter travel decrease by 90 percent, we have businesses going bankrupt, a record number of temporary layoffs, and a lot of unemployed people. That's because people follow those recommendations we issue. The tourism industry has been hit incredibly hard. A lot of small businesses are on their knees...

Breaking News: Syrian air defenses repelling an attack in the Damascus area where its Monday morning. Israel aircraft from Lebanese airspace launching the attack..... Here in the United States People's Rights sponsoring an event at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Friday advocating the opening of Washington state..... The scope of the Saturday protest in Berlin against house arrest measures was greater than earlier reported. The protest involved nearly one thousand people. There was also a protest in another German city Stuttgart... "It's a real fear that if you have too harsh measures, then they can't be sustained over...

Sweden's ambassador to the U.S. believes the country's controversial strategy of pursuing "herd immunity" — and not locking down the country — is bearing success, with the capital Stockholm on course to reach herd immunity in the next few weeks. "About 30% of people in Stockholm have reached a level of immunity," Karin Ulrika Olofsdotter told NPR. "We could reach herd immunity in the capital as early as next month." Herd immunity means the majority of a given population has become immune to an infectious disease by either recovering from it or through vaccination. Some researchers have put the threshold...

Sweden's strategy to keep large parts of society open is widely backed by the public. It has been devised by scientists and backed by government, and yet not all the country's virologists are convinced. There is no lockdown here. Photos have been shared around the world of bars with crammed outdoor seating and long queues for waterfront ice cream kiosks, and yet it is a myth that life here goes on "as normal". On the face of it little has shut down. But data suggests the vast majority of the population have taken to voluntary social distancing, which is the...

Sweden reports record number of new coronavirus infections for the second day in a row, 812; 4.8 percent rise on the previous day •The country also saw an additional 131 new deaths, leaping from 84 on Thursday •Major Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet declared ‘the corona curve is going in the wrong direction’ •New figures as country to close bars and restaurants that do not follow social distancing recommendations •This, as top disease expert Anders Tegnell said it was 'hard to understand' how a lockdown would have stopped virus reaching care homes where visits are already banned •'Let me be extremely clear....

The novel coronavirus in Sweden has spread to over 17,500 people and killed more than 2,100, as of Friday, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University. While cases continue to grow, the country has taken the surprising route of not imposing a nationwide lockdown. Despite international derision over the decision, the scientist behind Sweden's coronavirus strategy claims the controversial move has been effective as the increased number of people exposed to the virus will hopefully help prevent a second wave of infections. The decision to not issue a lockdown "worked in some aspects because our health system has...

In stark contrast to most other developed countries dealing with the coronavirus, Sweden has adopted what are perhaps the least restrictive “social distancing” rules in the world, permitting most economic activity to continue in the face of the pandemic. The ongoing Swedish policy experiment of so-called “herd immunity” is quite unique. Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s chief epidemiologist and architect of the policy, explained that his country’s approach to COVID-19 is “to let the virus spread as slow as possible, while sheltering the elderly and the vulnerable until much of the population becomes naturally immune or a vaccine becomes available.” It’s premature...

I'm "social distancing." I stay away from people. I do it voluntarily. There's a big difference between voluntary -- and force. Government is force. The media want more of that. "Ten states have no stay-at-home orders!" complains Don Lemon On CNN. "Some governors are still refusing to take action!" Fox News' host Steve Hilton agreed. "Shut things down! Everywhere. That includes Utah, Wyoming..." But wait a second. People in Utah and Wyoming already socially distanced just by living there. Why must Utah and Wyoming have the same stay-at-home rules as New York? I find it creepy how eager some people...