Swedish Policy of Сountering the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Statement and relevance of the problem. In early 2020, the outbreak of coronavirus disease came as a surprise to the whole world. The need for effective counteraction at the global and regional levels required decisive action from international organisations and state governments. The World Health Organization has announced the pandemic and the need for a thorough and urgent fight against it. European countries have introduced strict restrictive measures, in particular, mass self-isolation, restrictions on economic and trade activities, termination of the educational process with its subsequent transfer to distance learning, etc. Sweden was the only EU member state to pursue a much softer and more liberal policy in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The purpose of the study is primarily to investigate features of the Swedish model of countering the spread of COVID-19. Scientific research is based on the use of comparative historical and statistical methods, and elements of retrospective and prospective factor analysis. Conclusions and prospects of the study. Based on the investigation of the Swedish government's policy on the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of features of the measures applied were highlighted. The Swedish model was based on the principle of public responsibility and reliance on a highly developed national health system. The basic course was to develop collective immunity in society. An important role was played by the principle of voluntariness, which did not provide for the introduction of a nationwide quarantine. Therefore, (especially at the initial stage) restrictive measures in Sweden were mild and mostly advisory in nature. Additionally, the need to maintain social distance and personal hygiene was emphasised. No strict measures or restrictions were introduced for the economy; businesses and institutions were advised to switch to remote work. Sweden has become the only EU country that has not implemented a lockdown in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Swedish counteraction policy, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was based on the principle of situational response: the authorities implemented certain measures in accordance with their timeliness and effectiveness. All this suggests a special Swedish model of state policy aimed at effectively overcoming the manifestations and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. The generalisation of Sweden's experience would allow developing approaches for creating effective measures to prevent and quickly counter such threats