According to the British Daily Telegraph on the 17th, the King of Sweden announced that the country’s response to the novel coronavirus was a failure. He mentioned nearly 8,000 “horrible” deaths and expressed “sadness and frustration” to those who lost loved ones.
In an interview recorded for the annual Christmas TV program of the Swedish royal family, King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden made a harsh comment on the government’s “moderate policy” during the epidemic.
He said: “I think we failed. Many people have died. Frankly, it is terrible. This is something we all have to bear.”
The report pointed out that the King’s intervention reflected the increasing criticism from the media, politicians and the public about the Swedish government and its institutions.
The Swedish independent agency, the Covid-19 Committee, on Tuesday severely criticized the government and public health agencies for failing to stop the coronavirus from ravaging nursing homes.
In the past month, Sweden has tightened epidemic prevention restrictions, reduced the maximum number of people allowed to gather to eight, high school students have started remote teaching, and banned the sale of alcohol before 10 p.m. But there are growing calls for Sweden to impose a “hard lockdown,” as Denmark announced Wednesday.
Sweden has reported more than 1,000 deaths related to COVID-19 this month, bringing the cumulative total number of deaths to 7,800.
In the interview, the King of Sweden regretted this “challenging era”. He said: “The Swedish people have suffered greatly under difficult conditions, and I will think of all the families that cannot say goodbye to their deceased family members. I think it’s a heavy and traumatic experience not to say a warm goodbye.”
In its first report, the Swedish Coronavirus Commission said that the current and previous Swedish governments had “final responsibility” for the failure of epidemic prevention in nursing homes. At the same time, public health agencies have been criticized for not “fully understanding the problems and shortcomings of urban elderly care” when formulating the national coronavirus strategy.
