Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hits Back After Criticism From Trump About Coronavirus Strategy

Ann Linde, Sweden’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, went live today on an interview with CNN to describe the steps her country is taking in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic that has spread throughout the world. 

Linde highlighted six key points in her interview, which include the following:

1) Limit the spread of infection in Sweden

2) Ensure resources for healthcare workers and facilities

3) Limit impact on socially important activities 

4) Explain consequences for citizens and businesses that do not follow quarantine rules

5) Limit panic through clear and concrete information

6) Take the right action at the right time

 

Like many other countries, Sweden’s main strategy is to stop the spread of infection and protect the groups that have the highest risks of contracting coronavirus (i.e. older citizens and those with suppressed immune systems).

The interview also touched upon a comment that US President Donald Trump recently stated, which was that Sweden was “severely suffering” during the pandemic.

However, Foreign Minister Linde rejected the notion and went on to explain that several myths have been spread about Sweden’s strategy.

Linde notes, “The government’s focus is and has been to ensure, based on the advice of the expert authorities, that the right action is put in place at the right time to protect the health and safety of the population.”

She goes on to say that each country has its own set of unique problems and ways of fighting the coronavirus. “The fact that different countries act differently depends on several factors, especially the pattern of infection and society’s construction. What is the right approach in one country doesn’t have to mean it is right in another.”

As for the fact that Sweden doesn’t have any official quarantine measures in place? Linde says that it all boils down to trust:
“There is a great deal of trust between the people and the authorities between politicians […] When the Public Health Authority makes a recommendation, there is a very strong will on the part of the people to follow it.”

Featured image: Reuters/EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA