Opinion: Sweden free during coronavirus pandemic but parents not free to keep kids at home

Back in early March, as we were beginning to enjoy the longer, warmer spring days after the pervading darkness of Swedish winter, we didn't realize that the approach of the new coronavirus was as inevitable as the approach of the sun-lit midsummer evenings. We were just happy that it was no longer dark when my son returned from school, and that we could go for afternoon walks around the nearby lake, where sheets of spring ice still clinked in the wind. My family is still getting used to these seasonal rhythms after our move in 2018 to Sweden, the country of my birth, from a small house in the Houston Heights to a small house on the edge of a lake in Nacka, not far from Stockholm.

COVID-19 did arrive of course, here as everywhere. And as the rest of the world came to a standstill, the Swedes have taken a different approach. With no lockdown restrictions in place and only a few and relatively mild guidelines from the authorities, Swedes are free to soak in the sun at outdoor cafes and parks, or to fill shopping malls, get haircuts and go to the gym, as long as they don't gather in groups larger than 50. The country is getting the attention of Texans itching to reopen the economy fully. Universal health care and guaranteed sick leave, Swedish policies often critiqued by my Texan neighbors, have been all but forgotten — now, Swedes are suddenly a model for freedom-loving Texans. It is true that Sweden has managed to avoid the desperate situations of countries like Spain and Italy — the number of available intensive care beds here are plenty. But on the other hand, per capita deaths are quite high compared to the neighboring Scandinavian countries that went for a more stringent lockdown.

Say what you will about the Swedish coronavirus strategy — it really does offer a large dose of choice to the public. You can choose to mingle with others at the mall or in restaurants if you wish, but on the other hand, if you prefer to follow the stricter guidelines of many other countries, you are equally free to self-isolate, work from home if possible, get groceries delivered, and so on.

But there's a catch. Unlike in Texas, authorities have kept elementary and middle schools open, and worried parents are now facing legal repercussions if they insist on keeping children home.

One could say that this is quite a reasonable model of democratic free choice. Indeed, preserving freedom seems to be an important part of the rationale followed by Swedish authorities. In his recent addresses to the nation, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has appealed to the personal responsibility of Swedes to persuade them not to travel, or make unnecessary trips on public transportation, and to or stay away from the elderly. That ability to choose is cherished by Swedes, according to And, according to a study at the University of Lund, the majority of Swedes do appreciate this ability to choose for themselves during a global pandemic. Johan Giesescke, former National Epidemiologist and erstwhile mentor to Anders Tegnell, has said in interviews that quarantines can work in countries like China, where the government has the power to control the inhabitants; but that it would be difficult to do this in a an open democracy—even if, as he has also stated, a quarantine would probably be effective.

Besides, as Sweden's leading public health scientists underscore, no one in the world can be sure what the best strategy actually is in the current crisis, and each country has to choose what seems best. This emphasis on uncertainty is part of the transparency with which the authorities present themselves, and becomes another factor in the decision to let people make their own choices. Without certainty, how can you justify restrictive, economy-damaging measures?

Paradoxically, though, public health and school agencies seem strangely sure that children do not get infected by the coronavirus, and that they do not spread it. By keeping schools open and upholding 'Skolplikt' — the duty of Swedish parents to protect their children's well-being by making sure they go to school — the authorities are forcing parents to send kids into what looks to many like a grave danger. Many kids have to navigate various forms of public transportation to get to their schools, within the confines of which very little has been done to comply with the social distancing guidelines. Schools have even been officially declared exempt from the maximum 50 people rule.

So we can choose if we want our eyebrows plucked, but we can't choose to protect our families from an all-pervasive danger by keeping our children home.

Some parents in Sweden, understandably, are not happy about this insistence on the Skolplikt law. More than 2,200 have joined the Facebook group 'We who are keeping our children home-Covid-19.' These are parents who either want to keep their children at home but don't dare, or who are doing so in defiance of the law. The Facebook group 'Revolt! Protect our population from contagious spread of Coronavirus,' at 8,986 members, also sees many postings from such parents. All of them fear the interference of Social Services, which is obliged to investigate any families who do not adhere to Skolplikt.

In normal times, the Swedish Skolplikt law fulfills an important function. It is rightfully grounded in the principle that children' s physical and psychological health is the most important thing. Homeschooling is not allowed in Sweden, based on these grounding principles.

In Texas, I saw plenty of homeschooling, and I understand why a parent might choose to forego the admittedly less than excellent public school system in favor of their own efforts. I have even considered the idea myself a few times, when my son has been particularly unhappy with school life and its offerings. It is too hard to do while working full time — but Texas gave me the freedom to choose whether my kids learned at school or at home. No visits from Child Protective Services. No testing to prove they could read and write. A bit scary? Yes. I favor closer oversight to ensure homeschooled children are learning and that they have a healthy home life, and I prize the Swedish commitment to the well-being of children. But I must say that as I stare Skolplikt in the face right now, I feel a great longing for the freedom and responsibility I was granted as a parent in Texas.

For parents who are worried that Sweden's Health Authorities are not giving enough consideration to asymptomatic spread, to children as a vectors of infection, or to the case of children who live with relatives in the risk groups, this directive seems outright authoritarian. In a recent radio interview on P1, Ia Almström, who is keeping her three children at home despite the possibility of fines, warnings and investigation by the Social Services, stated that she sees herself as a responsible parent who is trying to protect her family. She and the group of parents she represents hope that the 'Skolplikt' can at least for now be turned into 'Läroplikt,' that is, duty to learn rather than duty to attend an educational institution, and calls for authorities to understand that parents have a right to protect their children from danger.

"It would have been better if parents could have gotten support from the school authorities rather than threats," Almström says, adding that it can't be good from a mental health perspective for families to be made to feel powerless in the face of an existential threat to their loved ones.

How can parents be reassured, when the official health experts themselves keep emphasizing the uncertainty inherent in the situation? We simply don't know enough yet about this virus.

Moving back to Sweden is a decision I don't think I will ever regret. I love the proximity of forest and water to every densely populated area and the burning pyres of May Day, not to mention the generous unemployment benefits and the free health care and education. Texans have a lot to learn from Swedes: that a strong social safety net can go hand in hand with freedom, for example, and that chicken eggs topped with fish eggs are even better.

But that's not to say that Swedes can't take a lesson or two from Texas. There's good barbecue, of course, but in addition, they could follow the Texas lead and give a little way on compulsory education during a pandemic.

Maya is a writer who earned her Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston.

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