Sweden took a near opposite approach. They mostly left people alone.
Swedish officials encouraged the elderly and other at-risk people to stay home.
But beyond that, they let life carry on as normal. Sweden didn't impose lockdowns, school closures or mask mandates.
They followed standard pre-Covid wisdom that the best protection is what epidemiologists call "herd" or "collective" immunity. Once a critical mass of people are infected and recover, collective immunity will reduce the total number of infections.
Arrogant American politicians and media "experts" sneered at Sweden's approach.
NBC "reported" on what it called, "Sweden's failed experiment. How their dangerous Covid gamble went wrong."
CBS confidently stated, "Sweden becomes an example of how not to handle COVID."
Time Magazine headlined: "Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster."
But the media's experts were just wrong. Swedish health officials were right.
Yes, at the beginning of the pandemic, Sweden suffered high numbers of Covid deaths, but as predicted, over time, herd immunity protected people. Sweden's excess death rate was the
lowest in Europe.
Sweden's economy got through the pandemic much healthier than other countries. Because Swedish schools never closed, Swedish students didn't suffer the learning losses that American kids did.