Swedish Ambassador to the United States Karin Ulrika Olofsdotter appeared on Wednesday’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to explain her country’s “open approach” to balancing the coronavirus fight with the need to keep people working.
While most Western nations, as Fox News host Tucker Carlson explained, “raced to adopt the Chinese model” of strict lockdowns and forced business closures, Sweden “refused to go along, instead choosing a different tactic. To date, the country’s hospital system remains intact and its citizenry is within reach of obtaining the herd immunity that would dismiss the virus for good, and even the World Health Organization has lauded its approach as a “model” for future virus response.
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“Our strategy is based on, you know, our way of life, how we function in Sweden,” Olofsdotter told Carlson. “So the aim is of course to save as many lives as possible and keep the health care system running, because as we all know, the flat curve and the spiked curve and so on, so it’s a strategy to keep the curve as low as possible and getting our health care system to function.”
Calling the fight against the virus a “marathon,” the ambassador said her country’s leaders chose a “strategy that we can keep for a long time.”
Olofsdotter cited a “big trust” between government, public agencies, and the population that is “fundamental” in how they “convey the strategy.”
Far from simply letting the virus run its course, Sweden has advocated “social distancing” and asked those “older than 70” to “stay at home.” People are also “forbidden” to visit nursing homes, and those who display symptoms are required to remain at home.
“Yes, our restaurants are open, but of course it’s seen an economic downturn, like a lot of them are doing extremely badly,” she said. “They are open. Travel has gone down, over Easter, 90% less travel in the country than before, so people are basically following these recommendations. So yes, it is more open — an open approach, but the same aim as everyone else.” (RELATED: ‘This Is Insanity’: Tucker Carlson Questions The ‘Science’ Behind The Shutdown)
When asked how close Sweden is to obtaining “group immunity,” Olofsdotter said Stockholm immunity had gone from 10% to 25% in three weeks.
“It’s not a strategy to get herd immunity,” she said, calling it “something you want to get” if there is no vaccine available.