<p>With many governments across the globe opting for draconian measures, including shutting down most schools and &#8220;non-essential&#8221; businesses and issuing &#8220;shelter-in-place&#8221; orders — measures that have brought economies to a screeching halt — Sweden&#8217;s government has thus far chosen to take a far more hands-off approach.</p>
<p>Unlike in most of Europe, Sweden&#8217;s primary schools and restaurants and bars remain open, and &#8220;take responsibility&#8221; is the phrase of the day from officials. And, so far, as reported by <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/lockdown-wait-sweden-goes-own-way-003057482.html">AFP</a> on Tuesday, Sweden&#8217;s less stringent approach appears to be working well enough, with the country reporting fewer confirmed COVID-19 cases per capita (2,272) than its smaller &#8220;locked down&#8221; neighbors, Norway (2,566) and Denmark (1,577).</p>
<p>&#8220;Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, in a televised speech on Sunday, urged people to &#8216;take responsibility&#8217; and follow the government&#8217;s recommendations,&#8221; AFP reports in its look at Sweden&#8217;s &#8220;softer line&#8221; in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. &#8220;Those include working from home if you can, staying home if you feel sick, practice social distancing, and stay home if you belong to a risk group or are over the age of 70.&#8221;</p>
<p>Like other European countries, Sweden has banned gatherings, but only gatherings of 500 or more — as opposed to the more drastic directives, like in Germany, which is now banning &#8220;gatherings&#8221; of more than just two. Sweden&#8217;s government is also advising that universities and secondary schools shift to fully online classes, but is so far keeping primary schools open, though lawmakers have fast-tracked a bill allowing closures, if deemed necessary.</p>
<p>Also remaining open are restaurants and bars, which other governments, including those of many U.S. states, have fully shut down except for take-out orders. Sweden, on the other hand, still allows some table service.</p>
<p>Like other European countries, travel across Sweden&#8217;s border is barred except for essential travel, but travel within the country is fully open, the government merely advising residents to avoid non-essential holiday trips.</p>
<p>So what&#8217;s life like? AFP says that for many in Sweden things are pretty normal, with eating establishments and bars in Stockholm &#8220;full&#8221; over the weekend and public transportation &#8220;jam-packed&#8221; at rush hour.</p>
<p>The far more lax approach by the government has drawn criticism from many, but officials say they are simply following the guidance of Sweden&#8217;s Public Health Agency, which so far has not deemed it necessary to take more drastic action, and contend that &#8220;draconian measures are not effective enough to justify their impact on society,&#8221; AFP reports.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right or wrong, Sweden does not seem to have a worse virus problem than its neighbours, according to the numbers of declared cases,&#8221; AFP concludes, though the agency notes that in Sweden and its neighboring countries there are likely more cases than have been confirmed due to lack of more widespread testing.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, more and more states in the U.S. are imposing stricter measures. So far at least 16 states have issued &#8220;stay at home&#8221; or &#8220;shelter in place&#8221; orders, and many cities and counties have implemented similar mandates. Restaurants and bars are being shuttered all over the country, about a third of the population now living in areas in which take-out orders are the only real option for eating prepared meals, according to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/states-cities-shutting-down-bars-restaurants-concerts-curfew-2020-3">Business Insider</a>.</p>
<p>The current list of states that have imposed &#8220;stay at home&#8221; orders include: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>President Trump, who has been pushing the mantra of &#8220;15 days to slow the spread,&#8221; has increasingly signaled over the last few days that he is leaning toward lifting the &#8220;lockdown&#8221; mandates more quickly than some health officials say is necessary due to the massive impact that they are having on people&#8217;s jobs and the economy.</p>
<p>&#8220;Our people want to return to work,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1242455267603877894">tweeted</a> Tuesday. &#8220;They will practice Social Distancing and all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively &amp; lovingly. We can do two things together. THE CURE CANNOT BE WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM! Congress MUST ACT NOW. We will come back strong!&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-admin-announces-largest-stimulus-proposal-in-u-s-history">Trump Admin Announces Largest Stimulus Proposal In U.S. History</a></strong></p>

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While Europe Locks Down, Sweden Keeps Schools, Restaurants Open