Covid Economics

In the midst of a world wide lockdown, it has become common knowledge that Sweden strayed from the herd. They did not take ordinary precautions regards the spread of Corona virus. Some people praised their strategies, others condemned it.

Sweden’s government decided not to enforce lockdown. Pupils over the age of 16 didn’t go to school, gatherings of over 50 people were discouraged but not enforced by the law. Restaurants, bars and other public areas stayed open and Swedish citizens were trusted to keep distanced themselves. This is juristically different to the responses of other countries. For example, here in England, shops and restaurants have only recently opened. They were close for almost three months and people were only allowed to go outside for an hour of daily exercise.

Although it is now later, it is still unclear if Swedens strategies worked well. There was one very interesting strategy that some Swedes used to prohibit a large gathering. Their method includes a tonne of chicken manure. On Thursday, 30th April, it was Walpurgis night. It is a Christian festival celebrated with a feast, singing and, in Sweden, bonfires. This feast commemorates the canonisation of Saint Walpurga.

Unfortunately, the festival occurred during the peak of the Covid 19 pandemic; the relaxed Swedish approach mixed with large gatherings of celebrating people do not mix well in a pandemic. In a small university town in Sweden, called Lund, was expecting a gathering of 30,000 people in its central park to celebrate. To deter crowds, residence spread a tonne of chicken poo around the park. Firstly, this fertilises the grass and secondly reduces the number of people in the park. It is a truely amazing technique. As it is classed as a spontaneous event, authorities couldn’t shut it down; therefore, poo is the next best option.