Sweden's divisive lockdown policy could see it excluded from Nordic 'travel bubble'
Sweden’s controversially laid-back lockdown policy could see its citizens slapped with travel bans as the rest of Europe starts to ease border controls.
Scientists and politicians from other Nordic countries are calling for Swedish nationals to be excluded from a proposed Northern European ‘travel bubble’, expressing concerns that its government has failed to properly contain the spread of Covid-19.
While neighbouring nations all declared strict lockdown measures in March, Sweden’s shops, restaurants, bars and schools have remained open throughout the pandemic, while self-isolation and social distancing were only encouraged, rather than enforced.
Now, Denmark, Norway and Finland continue to report a steady reduction in new cases of coronavirus, and have eased lockdown restrictions to allow schools and businesses to reopen, while Sweden is suffering one of Europe’s highest weekly fatality rates.
Jakob Elleman-Jensen, leader of Denmark’s opposition Liberal Party, said: “If it isn’t safe from a health perspective to open the border with Sweden, Swedes should stay at home while we let in the Germans.”
Maria Ohisalo, Finland’s Minister of the Interior, has stated that Finnish border controls could be relaxed on June 14 to permit travellers from nearby countries, but cast doubt on whether Swedes would be included.
“Norway, Denmark and Iceland have succeeded in stabilising the situation. In Sweden the situation is more worrying,” she said.
Cyprus has also taken the dramatic step of banning all direct flights from Sweden when it opens its borders on June 9, with Cypriot epidemiologist Leondios Kostrikis stating that the latter’s response to the pandemic “obviously hasn’t worked that well.”
The Swedish Foreign Minister, Ann Linde, has hit back, urging other countries not to use Sweden’s situation to set “political markers”.
“It is a very complicated issue, and I think that all politicians in every country should also look at the long-term effect before they take very politically-motivated decisions,” she said.
Sweden has witnessed 4,125 deaths arising from almost 35,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the pandemic, roughly four times the fatality rate in Denmark, six times that of Finland, and 10 times that of Norway. A large number of its deaths, however, have occured in care homes.
Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s state epidemiologist, has put a positive slant on holiday prospects for his compatriots, saying: “When we get to summer, it might be the case that we have so many people in Sweden who are immune [to the coronavirus] that it could be safer for Swedes to go there than others.”
The World Health Organization has warned that recovering from Covid-19 does not necessarily guarantee an immunity to the virus.
