There are people who do wear masks. I was just at Plantagen, a gardening store outside of Stockholm, getting plants for my balcony and there were two older people wearing masks. I think the image of Sweden that some people have is that we totally don’t care. That’s not the case. There is no queue where you’re not two meters from each other. There are markings in every store. Some restaurants are being lax, but the government has also shut restaurants down. I used to go to concerts a lot, almost every week, and there’s this big gap in my soul at the moment. I miss being in a crowd, experiencing something together and being swept away for a while.
No one hugs each other anymore. Sweden is a super-huggy population, but I can’t remember when I last hugged anyone, which is something I miss. You don’t shake hands at all; most people avoid each other in the streets. I know that foreign media likes showing crowded areas in Stockholm, and of course that exists, but it’s more the other way around.
We’re such a small country and I think the government strategy has made us come together. I mean there’s been both good and bad press about us. There are people who think that yeah, it does seem like a good strategy, and then there are people who think that we’re just crazy, or that we’re gambling with really high stakes. I think it’s resulted in some sort of patriotism. This feeling that we’re doing something that no one else is doing, which to many of us feels kind of strange, but we’re thinking that it might be the good way because that’s what the government says, and we trust the government and then we stand with the government. It’s like trädgrensnationalism, tree branch nationalism; if someone is critical and steps on the branch, the branch rebounds and slaps you in the face, like no, we’re doing the right thing.
My parents, for example, are super quarantined. They’re like, “When are we ever going to be able to go out? Is this for the rest of our lives now?” They’re not counting on leaving the house for the rest of the year. Imagine the psychological damage that does to lonely people. Another major reason for not locking down totally is the damage for mental health, for domestic abuse, child abuse. The numbers for domestic abuse are skyrocketing, even though we’re not in total lock down. If schools were closed many kids wouldn’t get even one meal per day; I’m guessing that’s a huge thing in the States as well with so much poverty. It’s important to remember that the Public Health Agency is responsible for both the physical and mental health of the population, and their helicopter perspective has informed the entire strategy.