Sweden's Covid experiment is now a certified failure

Open Air Failure

Sweden captured international attention for its decision to buck the trend on mandated shut-ins. 

The results are now in as Sweden Has Become the World’s Cautionary Tale.

Not only have thousands more people died than in neighboring countries that imposed lockdowns, but Sweden’s economy has fared little better. “They literally gained nothing,” said Jacob F. Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. “It’s a self-inflicted wound, and they have no economic gains.”

Sweden put stock in the sensibility of its people as it largely avoided imposing government prohibitions. The government allowed restaurants, gyms, shops, playgrounds and most schools to remain open. By contrast, Denmark and Norway opted for strict quarantines, banning large groups and locking down shops and restaurants.

More than three months later, the coronavirus is blamed for 5,420 deaths in Sweden, according to the World Health Organization. That might not sound especially horrendous compared with the more than 129,000 Americans who have died. But Sweden is a country of only 10 million people. Per million people, Sweden has suffered 40 percent more deaths than the United States, 12 times more than Norway, seven times more than Finland and six times more than Denmark.

Sweden’s central bank expects its economy to contract by 4.5 percent this year, a revision from a previously expected gain of 1.3 percent. This is more or less how damage caused by the pandemic has played out in Denmark, where the central bank expects that the economy will shrink 4.1 percent this year.

7-Day Rolling Average Confirmed Deaths

Trump Flashback on Sweden

On April 30, Trump blasted Sweden for not having strict quarantines,

Flashback June 10

Vice President Mike Pence deleted a Tweet showing the campaign team, packed together for a photo-op, none of them wearing 

"Stopped by to see the great men and women of the Trump-Pence Team today!" the tweet read. "Thank you for all of the hard work, keep it up!"

Rules? Who Cares?

 No one, including Pence wore a mask and the group far exceeded the 10-person gathering limit outlined in Virginia's phase one coronavirus guidelines.

Reopening in Reverse

Since late June it's been reopening in reverse.

• Texas Shuts Bars at Noon as Covid Cases Surge
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• 12 States Hit New Record Highs in Covid Cases

The US and Sweden are now following similar paths, Sweden never required masks, and in the US rules were not enforced, led by Trump and his fake news of the day Trump's Fake News of the Day: States Testing Too Much