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WORLD NEWS Thursday 4 June 2020
Scientist defends Sweden's hotly debated virus strategy

By DAVID KEYTON and JAN litical pressure has also
M. OLSEN forced the Swedish govern-
Associated Press ment to speed up an inves-
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swe- tigation into the handling
den's chief epidemiologist of the pandemic.
on Wednesday defended Ordinary Swedes are not
his country's controversial sure what to think.
coronavirus strategy, which "I'm not walking around
avoided a lockdown but thinking that we have a real
resulted in one of the high- disaster here in Sweden,"
est per capita COVID-19 Jan Arpi, a 58-year-old
death rates in the world. sales executive, told The
Anders Tegnell of the Pub- Associated Press. "I think we
lic Health Agency denied have it more or less under
that "the Swedish strategy control, but we have to
was wrong and should be be even more careful now
changed. That's not the after we learned how the
case." virus is spread, especially
"We still believe that our among elderly people."
strategy is good, but there Tegnell's pandemic tactics
is always room for improve- made Sweden a bit of a
ment. ... You can always local pariah in the Nordics
get better at this job," Teg- and didn't spare the Swed-
nell told a news confer- ish economy.
ence in Stockholm. Sweden's economy, which
Sweden has stood out State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency of Sweden gives a daily update relies heavily on exports, is
among European nations on the coronavirus COVID-19 situation, in Stockholm, Sweden, Wednesday June 3, 2020. expected to shrink 7% in
and the world for the way Associated Press 2020 and the finance min-
it has handled the pan- ister says the Scandinavian
demic, not shutting down According to the national been criticized — and I'm sure my colleagues all country is headed for "a
the country or the econ- health agency, Sweden, a some have apologized — over the world would say very deep economic crisis."
omy like other nations but nation of 10.2 million peo- for failing to protect the the same thing. There are More than 76,000 people
relying on citizens' sense of ple, has seen 4,542 deaths country's elderly and nurs- always aspects which we have been made redun-
civic duty. Swedish authori- linked to COVID-19, which ing home residents. could have handled this sit- dant since the outbreak
ties have advised people is far more than its Nordic But Tegnell said Wednes- uation even better than we began and unemploy-
to practice social distanc- neighbors and one of the day it was still unclear what do today, now, as we learn ment, which now stands at
ing, but schools, bars and highest per capita death the country should have more and more things," he 7.9%, is expected to climb
restaurants have been rates in the world. Denmark done differently. He also told The Associated Press. higher.
kept open the entire time. has had 580 coronavirus said other nations are un- "Sometimes I feel like a per- On the travel front, neigh-
Only gatherings of more deaths, Finland has seen able to tell exactly what sonal punchbag, but that's boring Norway and Den-
than 50 people have been 320 and Norway has had measures affected the out- OK. I can live with that," mark said they were drop-
banned. 237, according to a tally by comes of their outbreaks Tegnell added. ping mutual border con-
Tegnell's statement to re- Johns Hopkins University. because they threw every- Sweden's COVID-19 infec- trols but would keep Swe-
porters came after more "If we were to encounter thing at the crisis at once. tion rate of 43.2 deaths per den out of a Nordic "travel
contrite comments ear- the same disease again, "Maybe we know that now, 100,000 inhabitants is lower bubble."
lier in the day to Swed- knowing precisely what we when you start easing the than Spain's (58.1) and Ita- The Danes said they will
ish radio in which he said know about it today, I think measures, we could get ly's (55.4), but is higher than reopen the border next
"I think there is potential we would settle on do- some kind of lesson about reported rates in the Unit- month to residents of Ger-
for improvement in what ing something in between what else, besides what we ed States (32.1) and Brazil many, Norway and Ice-
we have done in Sweden, what Sweden did and did, you could do without (14.3), according to Johns land as the country eased
quite clearly." what the rest of the world a total shutdown," Tegnell Hopkins University. its coronavirus lockdown.
Asked if the country's high has done," Tegnell, consid- said in the radio interview. Last week, the country's But Denmark, which has a
death toll has made him ered the architect of the At the news conference, former state epidemiolo- bridge that goes directly
reconsider his unique ap- unique Swedish pandemic Tegnell made it clear that gist, Annika Linde, said in into Sweden, has post-
proach to the pandemic, approach, told SR. his previous statement "was retrospect she believes an poned a decision reopen-
Tegnell told Swedish radio Still, authorities in Sweden, an admission that we al- early lockdown could have ing to Swedish visitors until
"yes, absolutely." including Tegnell, have ways can become better. saved lives in Sweden. Po- after the summer.q

Syria says new wave of U.S. sanctions is 'economic terrorism'

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — so-called Caesar Syria Civil- sible for atrocities commit- pher who took thousands The bill applies sanctions
The Syrian government ian Protection Act, which ted during Syria's civil war of photographs of victims to those who lend sup-
condemned Wednesday a goes into effect this month, and funding for war crimes of torture and other abuses port to "the Assad regime's
new wave of U.S. sanctions is based on "lies and fabri- investigations and pros- and smuggled them out of military efforts" in the war,
against the country, calling cated claims by enemies ecutions. President Donald the country. The images, and grants authorities to
the measures "economic of the Syrian people." Trump later signed the Na- taken between 2011 and the U.S. secretary of state
terrorism" that will increase The act, which gained bi- tional Defense Authoriza- 2013, were turned over to to support entities collect-
the suffering of the Syrian partisan support in Con- tion Act, which includes the human rights advocates, ing evidence and pursuing
people. gress in December, envis- Caesar act, into law. graphically exposing the prosecutions against those
A Foreign Ministry state- ages sanctions on Syrian Caesar is a code name for scale of the Syrian govern- who have committed war
ment said Washington's troops and others respon- a Syrian forensic photogra- ment's brutal crackdown. crimes in Syria.q