Sweden touts the success of its controversial lockdown-free coronavirus strategy, but the country still has one of the highest mortality rates in the world

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• Swedish officials praised the success of the country's controversial lockdown-free coronavirus strategy on Tuesday, saying that the relaxed policies have helped slow the transmission of COVID-19. 
• At a press briefing in on Tuesday, Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said: "Transmission is slowing down, the treatment of COVID-19 patients in intensive care is decreasing significantly, and the rising death toll curve has been flattened."
• But the wider picture of the country's coronavirus response is a bit more complicated. 
• Some Swedish experts have said the country's methods will eventually yield positive results, while others have acknowledged serious pitfalls in the risky strategy.
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Swedish officials defended the country's lockdown-free coronavirus strategy on Tuesday, saying that the controversial method has slowed the spread of COVID-19. 

Sweden never issued a formal lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the country's coronavirus model relies on personal responsibility and encourages citizens to stay home when they're sick and maintain social distancing when in public. Most businesses, restaurants, bars, and schools have remained open, though gatherings of more than 50 people were banned in late March.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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