Europe takes Swedish turn on virus

Last spring, as the
first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic swept through Europe, Sweden became the continent’s controversial exception on how to tackle the virus. As other countries — from Italy to the UK — enforced draconian lockdowns, the Swedes went for a light touch. That sparked outrage among people concerned by a seemingly cavalier approach to the death toll and enthusiasm from those more
worried about individual freedom and protecting the economy.
The result was a fatality rate higher than Sweden’s Nordic neighbours, but a smaller hit on the economy than most other European countries. As Europe struggles with a resurgence of the virus, many more countries are quietly turning Swedish.
Governments are happy to impose more stringent measures on cities and regions with bad outbreaks (as Sweden itself is starting to do) but they’re extremely
reluctant to crack down
too heavily on social interactions, as they did in the spring.
Politicians rightly fear for the economy and public finances, which were battered in the first half of the year, and for the psychology of a population that’s growing tired of lockdowns. This more nuanced approach — compared in the first phase of the pandemic to a “dance” rather than the full “hammer” of national restrictions — can make political and economic sense, despite the accusations of unfairness from the leaders of cities subject to tougher measures. The big question is whether it can prevent another sustained rise in deaths and hospitalisations.
Italy became the latest European country to avoid taking measures akin to those introduced in the spring. The government chose to keep restaurants open, as well as barber shops and gyms, even though the number of hospitalisations is climbing. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has vowed that there won’t be a new national lockdown; he’s relying instead on targeted closures, for example in the Paris area. Spain — the country worst affected by Europe’s second pandemic wave — has also tightened rules on areas such as
the Madrid region, where
it barred non-essential movement, but has
avoided sweeping countrywide measures.
Governments are doing all they can to avoid new national lockdowns, but ultimately the choice isn’t theirs. If Europe’s hospitals run out of beds, it will become harder to resist calls for greater restrictions. Europe’s Swedish turn hasn’t yet been truly tested.

—Bloomberg