None of the neighbors want all the sick, infected people from Sweden. The message to Swedes - "Stay the F out of our countries".
No-lockdown Sweden balks at the possibility it could be excluded as Nordics reopen borders
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/27/swe...mean-its-excluded-from-nordics-reopening.html
- Sweden decided not to implement a strict lockdown, unlike its Nordic neighbors Finland, Denmark and Norway.
- Sweden’s neighbors are looking to reopen borders and lift travel restrictions.
- There are reportedly concerns over Sweden’s approach to the virus.
As Sweden’s Nordic neighbors look to reopen borders and lift travel restrictions, worries over Stockholm’s relaxed approach to the coronavirus has increased concerns that it could be excluded from those plans.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Tuesday the EU had cautioned against discriminating when opening borders, and that any decision to exclude the country from an agreement between the Nordic states would be problematic.
“It is a very complicated issue, and I think that all politicians in every country should also look at the long-term effect before they take very politically motivated decisions,” she told reporters at a briefing in Stockholm, according to Reuters.
Linde’s comments came after Cyprus
said it would not permit direct flights from Sweden when it opens up on June 9, but would allow inbound flights from Norway, Denmark and Finland.
There is a nervousness over Sweden because, unlike its neighbors and most of Europe,
it kept much of its public and social life open as the coronavirus spread throughout Europe in late February and March.
The government allowed Sweden’s bars, restaurants and schools for under-16-year-olds to remain open. It did ban mass gatherings and visits to elderly-care homes, which have seen acute outbreaks of the virus, and advocated social distancing, working from home and good personal hygiene.
The strategy has been attracted global attention and some criticism. Data shows that the country of around 10 million has recorded 34,440 cases and 4,125 deaths. This is far higher than its Nordic neighbors, which each have populations of around 5 million each; Norway has recorded 235 deaths, Denmark has recorded 563 deaths and Finland has reported 312 deaths.
Allowing for different testing regimes and attributions of the cause of death,
according to ourworldindata.org, Sweden’s daily confirmed Covid-19 deaths per million inhabitants on a rolling seven-day average stood at 4.68 on Tuesday, higher than the total for the U.K. (at 4.46) and the U.S. (at 3.40) as well as Russia and Brazil, which all have the largest numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world.
Nervous neighbors
Given the data, it’s perhaps not surprising that Sweden’s neighbors are cautious about the reopening of borders and lifting of travel restrictions, although essential travel, such as for work, has continued between the countries throughout lockdown, albeit at a lower level.
Finland is set to decide on lifting travel restrictions on or by June 14. It is not commenting on other countries’ strategies, the Foreign Ministry told CNBC when asked for comment, but pointed to Finland’s explicit strategy to prevent the spread of the virus in the country and told CNBC “it is monitoring the corona situation very carefully and is ready to react quickly if the situation suddenly gets worse.”
Norway’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security told CNBC on Wednesday that by June 15, consideration will be given to permitting leisure travelers from the Nordic countries to enter the country and that by July 20, permitting such entry from other nearby European countries will also be considered.
Denmark’s Foreign Ministry told CNBC that, as of Monday, the country was “expanding the possibility for travelers from the Nordic countries and Germany to enter into Denmark.”
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