Coronavirus: Sweden Edges Towards Locking Down

Sweden has been a topic of this blog before coronavirus hit the globe. Now, when it comes to coronavirus, I'm still following the country with a keen eye. When last I looked into Sweden, which was just a couple weeks back, the data implied that they were entering a second wave. The country had implemented certain restrictions such as limiting bars to 50 people. The restrictions looked very similar to what occurred in their first wave. As can be seen on Worldometer, their second wave is now significantly higher than their first (with the caveat that nobody probably really knows what the first wave looked like across the globe due to a lack of testing). As can be seen, they're averaging around 4,300 cases a day. If you adjust for population, that would equate to around 140,000 daily cases in the United States. Essentially, if you think cases are out of control in the United States, they're also out of control in Sweden.

With that, the country has implemented far tighter restrictions.

Marketwatch (Nov 16) reports: 

But in a dramatic U-turn on Monday, new restrictions will no longer be a recommendation but enshrined in law as part of Sweden’s Public Order Act, which means there will be harsh penalties for violating them. Lawbreakers could face fines or up to six months in prison.

 
The restriction is aimed at public events such as sporting events and concerts and doesn’t extend to private gatherings.

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven told citizens: “It’s going to get worse. Do your duty and take responsibility to stop the spread of infection.

“There should not be social situations with more than eight people even if they are not formally affected by the law. This is the new norm for the whole society, for all of Sweden. Don’t go to the gym. Don’t go to the library. Don’t have dinners. Don’t have parties. Cancel.”

The Guardian (Nov 16) adds:

The interior minister, Mikael Damberg, said the strict new limit on gatherings would be in place for an initial four weeks but could be extended to run over the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Prison? So they go from relatively lax restrictions to 6 months in prison? That's a true 180 turn. 

The order applies to public gatherings and not private ones. I'm not sure if this applies to stores. It looks more like it applies to bars and clubs. Anyways, what's the worth for a bar, club or gym to even stay open if only 8 people are allowed inside. If true that this doesn't apply to stores, it would indicate that they're still less restrictive than other European countries. What I didn't read in the articles is anything about wearing masks.