EU countries open borders. But not for Sweden

How to deal with coronavirus? Lockdown method, introducing a more or less strict quarantine and significantly stopping economic life? So did almost all the countries of the European Union. Or is it still more effective for Sweden’s special path, which did not close shops, restaurants, schools and allowed meetings of up to 50 people, counting on the awareness of the population and the rapid emergence of population immunity? During the project, I respected quarantine. But, I have friends who did not observe this at all. As a result, one of them in Munich became infected. I was sad because he, like me, is a volunteer in the organization, and it’s very disappointing to get a crown during your ESC. We will see how Sweden reacted to quarantine, and what awaits it. Apparently nothing good, like my friend from Munich.

German Foreign Ministry warns of unfavorable situation in Sweden

Discussions about the Swedish model have been going on since March. And in mid-June, Sweden’s neighbors and EU partners gave her an indirect but unequivocal assessment: they decided not to open the borders to the Scandinavian country yet, although they are in full swing restoring free movement within the European Union and the Schengen area.

So, since June 15, Germany has removed restrictions on travel of its residents to all EU states with one single exception: Sweden. Reason: Sweden does not comply with current epidemiological criteria. If the ratio of the cumulative number of new infections accumulated over the past 7 days to the population is higher than 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, then the travel warning remains or is announced again. This currently applies to Sweden. According to official Swedish statistics from June 11, the number of people infected rose per day by a record 1,474 people, which local authorities consider "a direct result of extended testing." As a result, the total number of cases in the country with a population of 10 million amounted to 48,300, and the number of deaths reached 4,814. "In terms of per capita, this is significantly more than in neighboring northern European countries, but less than in especially affected Spain, Britain and Italy .

Scandinavian countries do not open their borders to Swedes

So far they do not want to open the borders for the Swedes and their immediate Scandinavian neighbors. Denmark at the end of May announced that from June 15 on certain conditions it will allow tourists from Germany, Norway and Iceland, but not from Sweden. Denmark closed the entrance to the country from Sweden on March 14 - and is not going to open it for neighbors yet

Finland followed, although it is connected with its western neighbor by very close relations in various fields. Nevertheless, on June 11, Finnish Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo, announcing the abolition of border controls on land, sea and air routes to Norway, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and Iceland on June 15, said: the situation in Sweden, unfortunately, is so it’s bad that you can’t abandon the current restrictions.

On Friday, June 12, Norway took a similar step. Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that on Monday, tourists again reopened the borders with Finland, Iceland and Denmark, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands. As for Sweden, there, according to her, the epidemiological situation, unfortunately, is such that so far it is only possible to open the border with the Swedish island of Gotland. For residents of other parts of the neighboring country, quarantine measures and restrictions on entry remain, and Norwegians, in turn, are not recommended to go there.

Swedish chief epidemiologist acknowledges the fallacy of his strategy

So far it is fencing itself off from the Swedes and, for example, such a tourist country as Austria. Her government decided that from June 16, it would be possible to enter the territory of the Alpine republic again without subsequent quarantine and without presenting negative tests for coronavirus from 31 countries, including neighboring Italy, which was especially badly affected by COVID-19. Separate rules are reserved only for the Italian region of Lombardy. At the same time, the Austrian border remains closed for Sweden (as well as for the UK, Portugal and Spain, which so far retains restrictions on tourist flows).

https://www.eurointegration.com.ua/rus/news/2020/06/15/7111087/

It is important for all volunteers who are now on projects, who are now in Sweden, to understand that nothing catastrophic has happened. What you should not panic without thoroughly. This is a necessary measure, and none of us is to blame. Just try to relax and keep yourself busy. Then everything will be fine. So, did my friend Vika, who had succumbed "closed" in Sweden. Her ESK is connected with nature, she decided to just start reading 2 times more than usual, and now she does not have free time. I am very happy for her that she did not waste time on the project to nothing. That's cool.

https://www.lrt.lt/ru/novosti/17/1188212/strany-es-otkryvaiut-granitsy-no-ne-dlia-shvetsii

https://rus.postimees.ee/6996338/strany-es-otkryvayut-granicy-no-ne-dlya-shvecii

https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2020/06/03_a_13106317.shtml

https://russian.rt.com/inotv/2020-05-21/Svenska-Dagbladet-kogda-Evropa-otkroet