The Swedish response to the Corona-crisis has been relatively moderate compared to most other countries. Sweden did not opt for a total lockdown, did not close elementary schools, day cares, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and other places of business. Public gatherings of up to 50 people are still allowed until further notice. Sweden’s intra EU borders remain open – in contrast to its neighbors Denmark, Finland and Norway –although the government has extended the temporary entry ban to the EU via Sweden through May 15th.

Yet, in line with several EU initiatives and other countries, Sweden also adopted financial aid packages to mitigate the economic impact on people and companies. Moreover, the Swedish government implemented a range of additional measures to: (1) reduce and slow down the spread of COVID-19; (2) ensure that sufficient health care resources are available; (3) reduce the impact on critical services; (4) address concerns, for example, by providing general and specific information to various societal groups; and (5) to ensure that the right measures are taken at the right time.

In this blog we describe and summarize the Swedish approaches and their legal implications.