Sweden’s anti-lockdown coronavirus expert says he’s ‘willing to reconsider’ face masks
- Anders Tegnell has repeatedly made international headlines since advising against a full lockdown of the Scandinavian country
- He has so far argued against the WHO’s recommendation to use face masks, saying there’s ‘very little scientific evidence’ that they work
Sweden’s coronavirus consensus cracks as deaths top 5,000
Face masks are “possibly” to be recommended for people using public transport, Tegnell said in an interview with Dagens Industri on Thursday. “We need to think about that more.” But masks “definitely won’t become an optimal solution in any way”, he said.
The Swedish epidemiologist has repeatedly made international headlines since advising against a full lockdown.
Sweden’s Covid-19 expert calls global lockdowns ‘madness’
“It was as if the world had gone mad, and everything we had discussed was forgotten,” he said in a podcast with Swedish Radio. “The cases became too many and the political pressure got too strong. And then Sweden stood there rather alone.”
Tegnell has admitted he misjudged the deadly potential of the coronavirus in its early stages, but has refused to consider abandoning his strategy. He says restricting movement to the radical extent seen across much of the globe can create other problems, including increased domestic abuse, loneliness and mass unemployment.
“In the same way that all drugs have side effects, measures against a pandemic also have negative effects,” he said. “At an authority like ours, which works with a broad spectrum of public health issues, it is natural to take these aspects into account.”
Instead of closing schools, shops and restaurants, Sweden left pretty much everything open. Citizens were encouraged to observe social distancing guidelines, but the strategy assumed Swedes would voluntarily alter their behaviour without the need for laws.
In his comments to Dagens Industri, Tegnell said Swedes should continue to observe social distancing guidelines, such as working from home if possible, and avoiding public transport.
“I think we will have to keep living a little differently for a good while,” he said.
