Swedish Public Health Agency says border closures ‘won’t work’ against coronavirus spread
Sweden’s chief epidemiologist at the public health agency, and who is leading the work against the corona virus says closing borders, like those carried out by Denmark and Norway, is not a solution.
Anders Tegnell is the chief epidemiologist at the public health agency, and a key player in Sweden’s actions against the novel corona virus. He told Swedish Radio News over the weekend that closing borders, shutting restaurants and shops is not something that is going to work.
He says you can’t just close a country for months, and adds that the measures that are taken must be those that can be kept up for a long time, and that it is still very early days for the virus’ spread in Sweden.
The difference between the actions in Denmark/Norway and in Sweden/Finland can also be explained by differences in how the state is run, points out Marianne Sundholm at YLE, Finlands public service broadcaster.
Listen to the report to hear more.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada’s Inuit could be disproportionally affected by coronavirus, says national organization, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland’s first coronavirus case confirmed in Lapland, Yle News
Norway: Norway cancels NATO Arctic military exercise due to coronavirus outbreak, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Coronavirus: Russia hints it might close its border with Norway, Finland, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: Arctic cruise operators brace for coronavirus uncertainty, Alaska Public Media
