When the bordering countries of Denmark and Norway went into lockdown and closed schools and businesses earlier this month, Sweden stayed the course, taking an unorthodox approach by dodging the social distancing measures of other European nations.
On Wednesday, however, the Public Health Agency made a formal announcement ordering that all residents keep a distance from each other, but the guidelines are still lax.
As of Thursday, there were 5,466 known cases of coronavirus in Sweden and 282 people had died. Despite their different approaches to lockdown, the numbers are not so far off from Denmark and Norway.
The government had been stressing hand washing, social distancing and protecting seniors, but ultimately the choice was left on the individual to put measures in place or not.
