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Updated December 18th, 2020 at 18:02 IST

Sweden's King says country 'failed' in handling COVID-19 as death toll continues to mount

Sweden's 74-year-old monarch on Wednesday said that the country has failed in handling the COVID-19 outbreak as the death toll continues to mount in the nation.

Reported by: Vishal Tiwari
Sweden
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Sweden's 74-year-old monarch on Wednesday said that the country has failed in handling the COVID-19 outbreak as the death toll continues to mount in the Nordic nation. Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, who hardly comments on current and political issues and has no formal political power, described the country's handling of the pandemic as "terrible". According to CGTN, the King's comment was part of his annual Christmas address, an excerpt of which was shown by the state-owned SVT channel. 

Read: 'Cambodia Not A Dustbin For China': PM Hun Sen Blasts Beijing Over COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

King Gustaf said that the country has "failed" in its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, adding that the sheer number of deaths the outbreak has caused is "terrible". King Gustaf's concerns arise from the fact that Sweden has recorded the highest deaths per capita compared to its neighbours in the Nordic region. Earlier, King Gustaf's son and daughter-in-law also tested positive for the disease and were quarantined along with their children as a precautionary measure. 

Elderly people are the worst affected in Sweden, as per an independent commission report, which blamed the country's ill-equipped authorities for the rising death toll. Sweden's government opted for a no-lockdown solution at the start of the pandemic, which shocked the rest of the world. 

Read: Registration Of Health Workers For COVID Vaccine In Final Stages In Kerala

Public places never closed in Sweden

Schools, colleges, businesses, restaurants largely remained open and people were asked to follow the WHO-recommended social distancing measure on a voluntary basis. At the same time, the rest of Europe was opting for the strict lockdown to contain the spread of the virus and was making social distancing compulsory across all regions. The measures adopted by the Swedish government received widespread support from the local people. 

Read: COVID-19 Antibodies Found In Babies Born To Coronavirus Positive Mothers: Study

But, rapidly rising COVID-19 cases in the country have made the public skeptical of the government's policies as the number of people expressing confidence in authorities' handling of the disease has surged sharply. Sweden has recorded more than 3,57,000 confirmed infections so far, of which over 7,800 people have lost their lives. The country of over 10 million people registered a record 20,931 cases on December 15. 

Read: 'Smaller Christmas Is Safer': Boris Johnson Rules Out Stringent COVID-19 Rules
 

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Published December 18th, 2020 at 18:02 IST

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