The Swedish Approach
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-There's a festive air
on the shores of the Baltic Sea.
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In this popular
part of Stockholm,
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You wouldn't know
that half of the world
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that the world is in the midst of a
pandemic and that the rest of Europe
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struggles with
lockdown measures.
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They're celebrating
the return of good times,
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after the long
Scandinavian winter.
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-I bring you
a bottle of champagne!
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-Yes, very good idea.
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-Customers and the
bar owner are fatalistic
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regarding the
Coronavirus epidemic.
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-A carefree attitude, almost
cynical one might think.
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While Europe has become
more and more sealed off,
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would the Swedes be
irresponsible?
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Maybe it's not that simple.
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In this little town
north of Stockholm,
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it's 6:30 in the morning,
and like every other day,
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Emma Linder
wakes up her two kids.
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-Hello!
-Hello!
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It's time
to wake up!
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-No sleeping in,
no home schooling.
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Across the country, children
kept getting up early.
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-So Salvatore, the father,
goes to work as usual.
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As soon as possible,
Emma works at home.
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But she must regularly
go to the office,
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like today.
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-But she wouldn't want
give the impression
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that the Swedes are not
affected by the epidemic.
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-At school, measures
are have been
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taken to limit contact
between students.
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-We don't sit together,
we keep our distance.
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-For Emma,
like most Swedes,
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the government's recommendations
are more than enough.
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-The Swedish method is original:
no confinement,
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few closures,
some prohibitions,
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like that of
large gatherings.
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We're calling for
individual responsibility
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to control the coronavirus,
without shutting down any company.
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This strategy has been validated and
embodied by one man, Anders Tegnell.
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Every day, at 2:00
p.m., he gives a press
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conference on the
evolution of the epidemic.
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According to him, the peak has passed.
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-With regard to
intensive care,
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the situation is now clear.
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It's been several days
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that we are seeing a decline
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in the ICU admissions.
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-A. Tegnell, Health
Agency Epidemiologist,
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is in charge of the Coronavirus
crisis management.
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The government blindly follows
his recommendations.
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The austere doctor
has also become a phenomenon
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on social networks,
with his fan club,
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by-products
and even popular songs.
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Whether rap...
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Like as if I were Anders Tegnell
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I don't listen to anyone and I believe in myself
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I have lots of ideas, don't need help.
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Like as if I were Anders Tegnell,
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on the microphone with the info,
I never go on weekends...
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-Or, more classic
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We are social distancing while waiting for the vaccine
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Here's a waltz for you, Anders Tegnell.
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-The Swede Superstar is also
an object of curiosity for Europe.
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As we attend his press conference,
we seek to understand
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why he chose
a different model.
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-This is a little
tongue-in-cheek answer.
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then we ask anew
the question on the way out.
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-Anders Tegnell knows he's wearing
an onerous responsibility
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It must be said that Sweden
has statistics
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not as good as his neighbors:
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about 30 dead
per 100,000 inhabitants.
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Against less than 9 in Denmark,
or four in Norway.
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Sweden also has
more deaths than Switzerland.
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The Situation
is of concern in MSEs
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which concentrate at least a third
of the country's deaths.
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The Health Agency
promised an investigation.
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A large majority of the population
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continues to trust
to the authorities.
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Some criticism has been raised.
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In this suburb of Stockholm,
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we have an appointment
with Stefan Hanson.
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This retired doctor
goes to this office,
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a few days a week,
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to offer consultations
to the locals.
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Specialist
of infectious diseases,
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he knows by heart
preventive actions.
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He feels like he's a little lonely...
worrying about the situation.
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-People, especially young people,
don't take this seriously.
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-Along with 21 other scientists,
Dr. Hanson signed a paper
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criticising government policy
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and calls for measures
stricter.
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-Stefan Hanson would like
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that the choices of the experts
of the Health Agency
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be debated further.
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Even in the political world,
consensus reigns.
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We are meeting with the member
Camilla Waltersson Groenvall.
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Teleworking in Parliament
is also recommended
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and the polemics
have been muted.
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Although a member of the opposition,
she does not wish
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reconsider choices
of the Social Democratic government.
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A member of a center-right
party, she is concerned
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economic consequences,
but she refutes the idea
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that Sweden would make health care
in the background.
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-When other countries were taking
very restrictive measures,
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Sweden preferred to focus on
freedom.
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For some of his critics,
this policy
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would be like making the country
an open-air laboratory,
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and its citizens, especially
the most fragile, guinea pigs.
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According to essayist Johan Norberg..,
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his country's path
is an opportunity to show
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that there are alternatives
to containment.
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-In the Stockholm area,
the authorities
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are hoping to achieve immunity
by the end of the month,
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and thus avoid a second wave
of contamination.
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Uncertainties are still
many in the face of the virus.
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It will take months
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before we can take stock
of the Swedish model.