The Commission considers that Sweden should have struck harder when covid was hit
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STOCKHOLM, February 25 (Reuters) – Sweden should have taken tougher early action and the government took a clearer lead when covid-19 was hit, although the mostly voluntary non-lockdown strategy was largely correct, said a commission reviewing the pandemic response to Friday.
Sweden polarized public opinion at home and abroad with its handling of the pandemic, opted out of the shutdowns carried out by many countries and adopted a largely voluntary strategy to promote social distancing and good hygiene.
“The government should have taken on the leadership of all aspects of crisis management from the outset,” the commission said in the report, adding that the government was too one-sidedly dependent on assessments made by the Public Health Agency.
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“In February-March 2020, Sweden should have chosen more rigorous and interventionist disease prevention and control measures.”
The Commission’s conclusions, initiated by the government under pressure from Parliament, could become a debt to the ruling Social Democrats with a general election in September.
More than 17,000 people have died of or with covid-19 in Sweden, much more per capita than among Nordic neighboring countries but fewer than in most European countries that have chosen shutdowns.
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Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard
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