People, once used to walking across this border between Sweden and Finland, must now show their passports. IBL, via Shutterstock
Norway, Denmark and Finland have all closed their borders to Swedes this summer, fearing visitors would bring new coronavirus infections with them — a break in Scandinavia’s usual sense of mutual identity.
While those countries went into strict lockdowns, Sweden famously refused. It now has roughly twice as many infections and five times as many deaths as the other three nations combined, according to figures compiled by The Times.
Swedish officials are not amused by the country’s new pariah status, saying they have been stigmatized by an international campaign to prove them wrong. A second wave in the fall, the Swedish officials warn, might find their neighbors more vulnerable.
What it means: Long considered the holders of the best passports in the world for global travel, Swedes cannot move as easily now in the European Union. Only France, Italy, Spain and Croatia are welcoming them without restrictions. But the behavior of Sweden’s closest neighbors has been most painful, the country’s foreign minister said. “That will take time to heal, it was too harsh,” she said.
The New York Times
