OREANDA-NEWS. The special envoy of the World Health Organization (WHO), David Nabarro, said that the strategy of the Swedish authorities, which did not introduce tough measures because of the wide spread of a new coronavirus infection, could be effective if people behave responsibly.

“In Sweden, the government was able to trust the public and the public was able to trust the government,” he said in an interview with New Zealand radio station Magic. Nabarro noted that the restrictions are hitting people and businesses, and countries need to be helped to avoid quarantine.

After the outbreak of the epidemic, the Swedish authorities decided not to impose strict quarantine measures. They expected that the population will develop herd immunity and the incidence will gradually disappear. However, the death rate in the country has increased. In the first six months, 51,405 people died in Sweden; this is the highest number of deaths in the same period since 1869.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, in total, more than 84 thousand cases of COVID-19 were registered in Sweden. 5.8 thousand people died.