Abstract
All around the world the COVID-19 pandemic is having an enormous impact on people’s lives. Contrary to many other countries, Sweden has opted against lockdown. The Swedish Government has put trust in its people and has advised them to be responsible and follow the recommendations and guidelines of the Public Health Agency of Sweden. Using the Interest Theory of Rights, this article discusses the impact of the Swedish response to COVID-19 on three different Swedish communities, and considers the implications of such a strategy on social development. Data was collected from different national and international media sources as well as from Swedish authorities’ websites. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data with the help of ATLAS-ti.8.4. The findings section discusses how three community groups in Sweden—the elderly, immigrants from marginalised areas and prisoners—are having their rights altered during this pandemic period. It also outlines different social development approaches being used in Sweden for tackling the challenges relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article concludes that a strong democratic state is vital in managing a pandemic such as COVID-19. It also argues that the strength of a state largely depends on its citizens’ willpower to take ownership of responsibilities—both individually and collectively.
Highlights
Around the world human beings are currently going through very difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Around mid-March 2020—when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (2020)—Sweden had a shortage of intensive care beds to cope with a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country (The Local, 2020)
In order to deal with the situation, the Swedish Government and the Public Health Agency (PHA) declared to the nation that the interests of elders will be protected
Summary
Around the world human beings are currently going through very difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of people are infected, with hundreds of thousands of them having lost their lives due to the virus. National and international businesses are suffering, with a growing number of them going out of business altogether. In many parts of the world, healthcare systems and healthcare workers are under mounting pressure. Millions of people across every continent are suffering from food shortages, with supermarket shelves completely depleted. Schools at all levels have been closed indefinitely and public transport systems reduced to skeletal resources (if not completely stopped). Depending on the country in question, people have been forced into partial or complete lockdown
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: The International Journal of Community and Social Development
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
