Sweden avoided the lockdowns; two years later, it is not doing badly

As the world slides back into lockdown, one word is conspicuously absent from the debate. That word is not “freedom” or “proportionality” or “vaccines.” It is “Sweden.”

The United Kingdom, which had been an outlier in its refusal to impose restrictions, caved in last week and required proof of vaccination for indoor venues and face masks in several situations. Most European countries had already gone much further, ordering curfews, closures, and even mandatory vaccination. These measures are defended as the only way to curtail a fourth wave, or else as a precaution against the new omicron variant.