Coronavirus Around the World – Sweden
Introduction – Coronavirus in Sweden
OTL City Guides are designed to be the go-to for all kinds of lifestyle information. However, we never thought we’d be sharing stories about life during a global pandemic like the effects of the Coronavirus in Sweden and around the world.
Unfortunately, lifestyle these days seems to completely revolve around the Coronavirus COV-19 crisis. While so many of us are cooped up at home or on the front lines of the pandemic response, it can be easy to forget that we’re not the only ones going through this, so we’ve asked writers from around the globe, like Svante, to share their experiences.
Svante is a student in Sweden who has had to switch gears and take classes at home through Google Meet.
For stories from other locations, be sure to visit our Coronavirus blog, as we’re gathering personal perspectives from around the globe. A few of our recent additions include stories from Canada and Nigeria.
The Coronavirus in Sweden – A Different Approach
By Svante
Hi, my name is Svante, and I live in Sweden. In this post, I will write about the way that the Corona pandemic has affected me personally. I’m also touching on how it has changed my family and Sweden as a whole.
As a lot of you readers probably already know Sweden has had a bit of a different response to the Corona pandemic which has sparked international controversy.
Relatively few regulations
Some people have even gone as far as calling it an “experiment”. As in contrast to other countries, Sweden has had pretty much everything open as somewhat usual. This includes things like gyms, stores, and even schools except for secondary school, university, or other higher education, which has converted into studying from home.
Sweden has not put up that many rules regarding quarantining. Pretty much the only regulation pertains to being out in public, as that there can not be more than 50 people in one place at a time.
Limitations
If more than 50 people are in the same vicinity at once, they run a risk of being handed a fine. This means that there is not as big of a scare regarding COVID-19 compared to other countries like the US and Italy. People are still very much aware, and a lot of people stay at home. But in comparison, Sweden is still operating like it’s business as usual, with standard workweeks, etc.
Even though we have relatively more social interactions, we still have very few cases with less than a thousand deaths. This is probably due to Sweden not being that closely inhabited, which slows down the spread.
A switch to homeschooling
When it comes to my personal life, I have been affected quite a lot. My school now has its lessons online using Google meet. Here in Sweden, the secondary school system is quite different from the US, which allows you to take classes for becoming things such as a plumber, construction worker, and car mechanic, just to name a few, while reading other subjects such as Swedish, English, and math.
Because I can no longer go to school, this has resulted in me only getting to attend my verbal classes and not my practical classes. The summer jobs I have searched for have also been declined due to the workplace not being sure when this pandemic will end.
Personal decisions
I also try to quarantine myself and wash my hands as much as possible, not to get my parents or grandparents sick because it can actually be dangerous for them.
For me, quarantining has been very difficult due to my being an overly social person that can’t really sit still. But I can see it being relaxing for people that enjoy just being by themselves.
I am thankful that my family has not been infected, and I hope it will stay that way. My dad has smoked most of his life, so he is a bit in the risk zone. My grandparents are also in total isolation, which is good because they are both over eighty.
P.S.: Since writing this blog post, the Swedish government has been considering stricter measures when it comes to the Coronavirus lockdown.
