Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Sweden, unlike other European countries, did not impose strict quarantine, limiting itself to some recommendations. However, the economy has collapsed and the country may pay a high price for it, according to Tagesschau (Germany).

According to Statistics Sweden, the country’s GDP for the second quarter of this year was decreased by 8.6% compared to the first quarter. According to experts, this is the largest decline in the Swedish economy since 1980, but still relatively better than in the rest of the EU.

As economists note, the losses to the country’s economy were not so impressive for several reasons: a) flexible attitude towards strict isolation; b) Sweden’s economy is quite diversified and not heavily dependent on tourism. The country’s economy is based on the iron ore, steel and timber industries; c) the northern countries have the best digital infrastructure, and, if necessary, some areas of the economy moved to the digital world.

Meanwhile, deaths from the pandemic in Sweden have reached their highest rates in 150 years. According to official data, by the end of April this year, every fifth resident of Stockholm was infected. In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 85 thousand cases of coronavirus have been recorded in the country, about 6 thousand people have died. With about 10 million Swedes, this means about 8.5 thousand infected and 575 deaths per 1 million inhabitants. For comparison: for every 1 million Germans, there are about 2,750 infected and 110 dead.

The elderly are particularly affected in Sweden. About half of the nearly 6,000 deceased live in nursing homes. Observers estimate that older and vulnerable people continue to lack adequate protection from the government.

In general, economists argue that the Swedish authorities have managed to avoid large economic losses due to the strategy of refusing to lockdown. At the same time, the further course of events will show whether the special Swedish path in the fight against coronavirus has justified itself. Ultimately, many countries suffer economically and socially, except for China, which is the only winner, where the economy is not experiencing deep recession.