azdak

I really want to know where Swedes go alpine skiing, and whether it differs from Norway. My impression of the situation in Sweden is that they are experiencing - or are about to - the capital city hotspot problem that other countries are.

Although the government continues to talk absolutely bullshit about testing, I think that the delay in action and accompanying lack of clear communication was the critical part in the UK. Other countries also haven't tested much, but they've done other things that have compensated. The lockdown here now is not less significant in than in other places with lower rates, though there was initially huge vagueness about it. But the population is large, a lot of people travel abroad for a range of reasons (including everyone here who goes skiing in February, the Scottish resorts being closed), there was no messaging about quarantining when returning from hotspots and given the infectiousness, those few days - I think we were only 5ish after Norway - and failure to say what it meant so that e.g. workplaces like mine weren't shutting down quickly enough make a big difference. I read something somewhere the other day about how in this kind of situation the countries what was needed of leaders (they were speaking nationally, but I think it also applies at other levels) was the willingness and ability to take bold, decisive action, and that's the antithesis of Boris Johnson. Take his infamous two columns about Brexit and last minute decision which to submit - that's him all over. Hedge your bets until the last moment, and then jump. Unfortunately, it looks like his gamble with his own life paid off.