What we can learn from Sweden's approach to COVID-19: WHO coronavirus briefing

Governments looking for long-term solutions for managing COVID-19 could start with their relationship with the general public, Michael J. Ryan, Chief Executive Director of the World Health Organization Health (WHO) Emergencies Programme said at a briefing Wednesday.

Sweden has gained attention worldwide for its unique approach to managing the virus. The country has not implemented many of the lockdown measures taken around the globe. For instance, while gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, restaurants and bars have remained open.

Ryan said the country has, however, adopted a range of measures to help tackle the virus. Sweden has ramped up its intensive care capacity, has a strong public health policy around physical distancing and key protections in place for those in long-term care facilities, all of which have helped its health system cope with COVID-19 cases.

The major difference in Sweden’s approach is trust in the population. Ryan said: “What it has done differently is it is very much relying on its relationship with its citizenry. It really has trusted its own communities to implement that physical distance.”

That trust, combined with strategic controls and clear communication, could provide a template for other countries that are loosening lockdown restrictions to safely adapt to a new normal. Ryan said: "If we are to reach a new normal, in many ways Sweden represents a future model."

Still, Ryan cautioned on Sweden's strategy: “It remains to be seen whether [its approach] will be fully successful or not.”

Continued vigilance will be key regardless of the exact model countries follow. Ryan said: “If we wish to get back to a society in which we don't have lockdowns, then society may need to adapt to a medium[-term], or potentially a longer period of time in which our physical and social relationships with each other will have to be moderated by the presence of the virus.

“We will have to be aware the virus is present and we will have to, as individuals, families and communities, do everything possible on a day-to-day basis to reduce the transmission of the virus.”