I must pre-face this post with an apology, for it is quite long. Many of my reflections on the matter tumbled out as I sat down to write it.
Reporting from Sweden, I can say that it is quite odd. It is generally business as usual, but there are a lot less people out. There has been some scattered panic buying, but the shelves are filling back up at a re-assuring pace. The only thing I notice (besides the newspapers, of course) is a marked lack of customers at work.
Now, Swedish authorities seem to shadow Great Britain's herd immunity method, thus avoiding measures such as lock-downs and quarantines and closing borders. Schools remain mostly open, although under watch. This remain contentious, but it is done, we are assured, to ensure that disadvantaged children, with no-where else to go but school, are not left to fend for themselves, and to keep their parents at work. Everyone is, of course, urged to wash their hands, maintain a safe distance and self-isolate if necessary. Congragations exceeding five-hundred attendants are also forbidden; although sticking to 499 instead is considered rather poor form. Large sums of money are set aside to aid businesses affected by the outbreak. Indeed, a special forfeiture fee has been attatched, to ensure that the banks do spend this stimulus as intended.
This method is a very hard sell, as it were, in a world that seems at a state of total war upon the sickness. It most certainly was to me.
I thought it was merely complacency and inaction on the part of the authorities; people appointed to positions they are not fit for, who are more concerned to not threaten political sacred cows. 'They do not dare touch their precious open borders!', I sneered. 'They are obfuscating the numbers on purpose!', I huffed. 'Why is action anathema to these people, who are they working for!', I wondered.
I have since changed my mind. I have come to rather appreciate their stance, and their determination to keep everyday life in motion at almost any cost. In fact, I admire it. It is bold, calculated and cold as ice. It keeps a sense of proportion, that while it is a dangerous disease, it is not a death sentence. We are not at war. No one is being dug out of the rubble of a bombed house, no ships are going under in blazing oil slicks. Telephones work, water comes out of the tap, and that precious bog-roll is still rolling out of the factories.
There is, however, the question of honesty. What they are doing is taking a significant risks, partly for the sake of ideals. It is not the first time that Swedish authorities nor her political bodies do that, but it is greatly reflected now, in the Corona Scare.
To speak bluntly, people will die. Many of the likely victims are in geriatric and palliative care and thus already close to death, but quite a few who will die would have had more time in this world if measures against the epidemic had been stricter. While children that are known to be sick and weakly are no doubt quarantined as necessary by their parents, I am most certain that some children may become severely ill or die as a result of the decision to keep the schools open.
The authorities must consider these losses as acceptable. I wish they would dare say so. They seem prepared to do whatever it takes to maintain a sense of normality, and I admire that. However, they seem much less keen to taking responsibility for it. One shudders to imagine if they are wrong, if herd immunity will not work...
As for me? I remain vigilant, of course, for the sake of the infirm and the eldery as much as my own, but maintain an ordinary life. I have a war supply of provisions, but it remains untouched, and I doubt I will have to go hungry or cold or without tobacco. I put my life in God's hands every day, but I have done so for all my life, and I think that, on the whole, it is about as safe as it ever was.
Be safe, everyone. There will be a tomorrow, and we will make it through to see each other then.
EDIT: On the matter of the NATO exercise; Snarky is no doubt correct. It is difficult to cancel these appointments, and regular exercises are important. Indeed, maintaining the ordinary functions of the military in times of crisis is vital. An invasion or an attack, as utterly hypothetical such a beast is at the moment, would be quite catastrophic at a time like this. The military is one of those services that simply must work, epidemic or not, and I imagine the Pentagon would agree. Of course, soldiers are generally young and fit, and with the epidemic ongoing, I imagine that they are well supervised. Not to mention, having what appears to be a divison worth of troops prepared if civil order breaks down due to the epidemic would be very handy.
