THE KING of Sweden has blasted the country’s anti-lockdown strategy as a “failure” as Covid cases continue to spike.
The country has bucked the trend by not locking down as many other European countries have, despite soaring numbers of cases and deaths.
Sweden has seen almost 350,000 cases and more than 7,800 deaths.
King Carl XVI Gustaf told the state broadcaster SVT in an end-of-year-interview that the number of deaths in Sweden is “terrible”.
The 74-year-old said: “The people of Sweden have suffered tremendously in difficult conditions.
“I think we have failed. We have a large number who have died, and that is terrible.
“One thinks of all the family members who have happened to be unable to say goodbye to their deceased family members.
“I think it is a rough and traumatic experience not being able to say a warm goodbye.”
The country’s prime minister Stefan Löfven has also said not locking-down was the wrong call.
He says health officials in Sweden misjudged the power of the virus’s resurgence when opting to not lockdown during the first wave.
“I think that people in the profession didn’t see such a wave in front of them; they talked about different clusters,” he told the Swedish Aftonbladet newspaper on Tuesday.
The country could finally be set for a harsh lockdown as the government last week asked for the power to close shops and gyms amid a surge in Covid cases.
So far, the country has relied on guidelines rather than imposing rules such as mask-wearing and restaurant closures.
The anti-lockdown strategy, however, has backfired, with Sweden reporting 1,7000 deaths from the virus in the past months.
This compares to about 100 each in Finland and Norway – both of which have half Sweden’s population.
It comes after it was revealed Sweden may have to call on its neighbours for urgent help as it is running out of much-needed hospital beds.
Intensive care units in the capital Stockholm hit 99 per cent capacity earlier this week and it was reported there were just seven beds available.
