Hat’s off to Sweden. Those wacky Swedes went their own way in their reaction to Covid. While the rest of the western world fully embraced lockdowns, mask mandates, shutting down their economies and schools, Sweden went with common sense. And it appears to have worked. If you’re a listener of The Loftus Party Podcast you already know that we were big fans of Sweden’s plan of dealing with Covid. A plan that seemed to boil down to this: Don’t be an idiot.

Sure, they didn’t have lockdowns and they didn’t close the schools. A move that paid off big time. The Swedish government did take action. It just didn’t involve arresting lone surfers on beaches. Beating up their own citizens or welding people inside apartment buildings. Sweden simply asked people to maintain social distancing, keep your gatherings small, work from home if it was possible, limit contact with the elderly and if you were sick? Stay home. That’s pretty much the long and short of it. Protect the elderly and if you’re sick, stay home. Insane, right? That’s how it way portrayed in the media. Sweden has lost its mind! It’s gonna be a nation of death! But recent stats show that Sweden had one of the lowest excess mortality rates in Europe. Norway was a bit lower than Sweden, however they closed the schools, and their kids are now suffering the consequences of that decision.

We highly recommend you read the article from The Conversation that goes into a detailed accounting of Sweden’s covid policy. It is well worth it. Sweden didn’t just not do anything. They had a legit plan and the Swedish people for the most part embraced it. And it worked. Makes you wonder why other countries imposed such strict measures. It almost makes you think some governments decided to use Covid as an excuse to grab more power. Almost.