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Sweden’s center-left government has long seemed happy to allow Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist, to be the public face of the country’s distinctive approach to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.
But as the second wave hit Sweden, which withstood a formal lockdown, much harder than its Nordic neighbors – contrary to Mr Tegnell’s forecasts in the spring and summer – the Stockholm government stepped in.
Stefan Lofven, the Swedish Prime Minister, announced two weeks ago what he called the most intrusive measures of “modern times” by banning public gatherings of more than eight people. That night, Mr Tegnell told Swedish radio that it was not his public health agency that was “putting its foot down” and that the ban was less extensive than the prime minister had suggested.
So, on Sunday, Mr Lofven only gave the fourth televised speech ever made by a prime minister to the nation, warning that the situation was likely to get worse before it got better and telling the Swedes, regarding the non-essential meetings, to “cancel it.” , cancel, postpone ”.
“It’s a mess now, it’s a real mess. It’s a mess because you don’t really know who is really pulling the shots. It is clear that there is a division between the government and the public health agency, ”said Nicholas Aylott, associate professor of political science at Sodertorn University.
Marja Lemne, a political scientist who previously worked for the Swedish state for 50 years, said: “There is kind of a crisis. You don’t have to be a doctor to see that the strategy hasn’t worked very well. There are signs of a split. I wouldn’t say there is definitely one.
The backdrop to the debate is a sharp rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Sweden, which is not expected to peak for another three weeks, according to health officials. Sweden has reported 397 deaths from Covid in the past nine days, more than either Norway or Finland – each with around half the population – have reported throughout the pandemic.
Figures like these led the normally cautious and measured state broadcaster SVT to declare that the Swedish strategy increasingly looked like a ‘failure’.
MM. Tegnell and Lofven both deny that there is a split between the public health agency and the government. In response to a question from the Financial Times, Mr Tegnell said there was a natural division of labor, with the public health agency making voluntary recommendations while the government imposed legal restrictions on restaurants and public gatherings. . “There is definitely no division or new strategy in place. There is complete confidence on both sides, ”he added.
Mr Lofven told Swedish newspaper Expressen: “There is no fracture. I imagine that the media might sometimes be tempted to portray the conflicts. But here there is none. Officials point out that the government has routinely introduced bills or regulations relating to Covid-19 throughout the pandemic.
Anders Tegnell on screen at a digital press conference © Henrik Montgomery / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Nonetheless, questions are growing about the differences between Swedish policies and those adopted in the rest of Europe – not only the lack of a formal lockdown, but also the fact that Sweden has not recommended wearing face masks outside hospitals, and his reasons for not imposing quarantine on travelers returning from abroad or children whose parents have been infected.
“The government is well aware that Sweden is increasingly seen as eccentric internationally,” said Aylott. “The government is wondering if its decision to delegate completely to the public health agency is reasonable. Sweden looks on a limb. “
The Swedish constitution grants great powers to independent bodies such as the public health agency, an unusual system of governance which Mr Lofven is keen to defend. But Ms Lemne said that in 50 years she had “never seen a government give in completely to an agency before”.
However, it is not certain that the government can gain much from playing a more central role in the fight against the coronavirus. “The problem with the Swedish government is that it doesn’t own any of this. Intervening now is very delicate for Lofven, ”said Aylott.
An opinion poll conducted this week for the Dagens Nyheter newspaper showed that 42% of people have great trust in Swedish authorities in general, down 13 percentage points in one month. Support for both the public health agency and Mr Tegnell also declined, but was much higher, at 59 percent and 65 percent, respectively.
“One would have to assume that when the situation worsened, confidence in all types of authorities would fall,” Tegnell said. “We don’t see any kind of open demonstration like we see in many countries in Europe.
Ms Lemne said it was unclear how things would turn out. “The split [between the government and the public health agency] may appear to grow or explode. However, she added that “if this continues, it is dangerous for democracy and public confidence in government and agencies.”
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