Despite the already waning mild Omikron bout in Sweden -- it peaked at years end -- the Covid Crazy people in government (health minister Heilengren and prime minister Andersson and the general director of Folkhälsomyndigheten) have decided that Sweden need new pointless Voodoo restrictions.
The motivation is a high number of positive tests (cases), and, hear hear, because the health care is under stress from the Flu and noroviruses... whaaat... (said by the prime minister at the Monday 10/1 press conference). Exactly what view-point the prime minister has is still opaque. Although it is clear by now that she believes in vaccinations as the way out -- for something that for all practical purposes ended last spring.
Of course healthcare it is under stress when fear stricken hypochondriacs fill the emergency rooms and waste the time of valuable resources engaged in having to spend time sending the fearful back home. The magic formula "Rest at home for a week, but call of us if you feel worse" get's rid of 90% of them. If they come back they get a new sick leave note with an accompanying "Do rest at home and call of us if you feel worse". And you get rid of the remaining 9,9% healthy people and can focus on the 0,1% really sick.
Otherwise the Swedish hospital system is not under stress. There are currently approximately 100 Covid-19 patients in ICU care in all of Sweden. On average 5/major hospital. And about 650 in ordinary care. In one of the major Stockholm hospitals they stopped having separate Covid-19 wards during the summer and Covid-19 and flu and some others now occupy the same ward. They just keep the Covid-19 patients at one end of the corridor.
There is notable tiredness about all this and articles criticizing the restrictions began appearing in Aftonbladet (the most important Social democrat newspaper) already before Christmas.
Regarding Tegnell it definitively looks like he has been sidelined. But he is first and foremost a vaccine-religious bureaucrat so he won't rock the boat .
Part 2
Why this desperation to force new restrictions down everyone's throat?
1. Usual pressure from the EU.
2. A wish to have restrictions comparable to those in the other Nordic countries.
3. Not wanting to risk to do too little or too much as elections are up-coming in September. But I think they just overstepped as people are starting to notice the totally contradictory regulations.
4. A wish to force the "vaccine passports" on the people. New legislation has been proposed and in my opinion this is a desperate attempt strike fear in the people to make them accept "vaccine passports" for travel restrictions etc.
5. Some political parties are also pro compulsory vaccination (not just Covid, and have been for a long time) and passes, so these pressure groups are at work behind the curtains. The newspapers (DN, SvD are also pushing for more restrictions. Always more, although DN has, surprisingly, had factually correct articles about who really gets sick and dies (the old and infirm). And there is a spattering of articles popping about now and then about vaccinated infecting people and vaccinated getting sick.
Face masks--current situation: has increased again due to a push by the new gov't. The usual people wear those, but much fewer than last spring. In the parliamentary report (Framställning 2021/22:RS6) about their Covid-19 measures two MP:s arequoted saying this about the mask advice for MP:s that was in vigor in the chamber for a short while (February to June, page 161-162, literal translation):
Masking is a ridiculous measure that probably did not stop even one virus particle from being transferred. The chamber is vast and has anyway been half empty for most of the time.
("Munskydd i kammaren är en fånig åtgärd som förmodligen inte har hindrat en enda viruspartikel från att överföras. Kammaren är stor och har varit otroligt glest befolkad för det mesta.")
To bother with masks in the chamber signals that MP:s are hysterical/ridiculous. It does also make it difficult to speak.
("Att krångla med ansiktsmask vid debatter i kammaren sänder signalen att ledamöter är hysteriska/löjliga. Det försvårar dessutom anförandet.")
Part 3
And a civil servant: That a mask were recommended [for the public] during the foreign policy debate (to avoid feeling embarassed in front of the foreign audience [diplomats, foreign press etc are invited and do also wish to attend, most were from masked countries...]) shows failure to act [meaning lack of judgement].
("Att munskyddsrekommendation infördes först i samband med utrikespolitiska debatten (för att man inte ville skämmas gentemot utländska åhörare) visar på bristande agerande. Förvaltningen bör agera proaktivt och vara ett föredöme för medborgarna.")
Even the lone pro-mask respondent thought it was ridiculous and proposed that distancing should instead be increased to two meters.
As the speaker of the house is a mask proponent the mask recommendation has been reinstated this week...
(If you are apt in Swedish kremlology, you know that it is really telling that those comments were kept and published. And you also know that critique in Aftonbladet against the gov't and the Social democratic party is likewise telling.)
Commuting--current situation: as the new recommendations were proposed perfectly in sync with Christmas, the 30% with cushy white collar / civils servant jobs were just happy to be able to "work" from home. There is though still more people commuting daily to central Stockholm than last spring.
Restaurants--current situation: fully open until Christmas (so the people could eat the Christmas smörgås board). From tomorrow only seated and max 8 per table and one meter between tables and enforced closing at 11 pm. The distancing is no problem, but the seating requirement is as it impacts bars revenues.
Shops and similar--current situation: the 10 sq metres per client rule was reinstated at the end of last year. Half the shops I passed yesterday had not bothered to put up any sign. And as last year the only enforcement is the sign. One of the few places really bothering to count the clients is IKEA, and I guess that other similar venues may do. I passed a one shop making sure the correct number entered the shop--but from personal experience I know that it is pointless in that shop as it is full of tight aisles, that are crowded even during a lull.
I have also seen the Swedish alcohol monopoly stores occasionally trying to check the number of clients. Last time I shopped wine while they did ended in them letting everyone enter as closing time neared. They would have had a riot on their hands otherwise.
Part 4
Education--current situation: in situ, although universities suggested to hold some seminars on-line.
Sports--current situation: non-adult activities do as they prefer. Adult activities partially restricted.
Exhibitions, theaters, cinema etc: complicated and unclear. Max limits on spectators. Vaccine passports required for some and not for others.
Sick unvaccinated?
70% are vaccinated (but they try to hide this by only showing the number of triple vaxxed and double vaxxed).
30% are either unvaccinated or have gotten the first shot less than 21 days ago... As the demographic that is hospitalized is mainly 50+ I do wonder how many are really unvaccinated.
Erratum corrigendum. The minister for Health and Social was misspelled. It is Hallengren of course.
Addendum: a motion has also been filed with the standing parliamentary Committee on the Constitution to begin an inquiry regarding prime minister Magdalena Andersson's about the legality of current restrictions and vaccine passports. This is mostly political show but may sometimes have real consequences.
