[ti:As Virus Deaths Rise, Sweden Refuses to Close Society] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:02.00]Sweden has not banned public gatherings like most countries have because of the coronavirus pandemic. [00:11.36]Crowds recently gathered near the waterfront in Stockholm to enjoy the sun. [00:17.88]Anders Tegnell said he is not worried. [00:21.28]He is the country's medical official leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. [00:29.08]The 63-year-old has become famous in Sweden. [00:33.84]He appears on television every day. [00:37.00]He tries to calmly explain the development of the outbreak. [00:43.08]Countries across Europe have restricted the movement of their citizens, but Sweden has not. [00:50.24]Tegnell says Sweden is finding a different way that is more "sustainable." [00:57.52]Sweden is using what some call herd immunity. [01:01.52]This can involve letting people become infected so that large numbers of people develop immunity in the population. [01:12.04]President Donald Trump has said that Sweden is suffering as the result. [01:18.12]"Sweden did that -- the herd. They called (it) the herd. Sweden is suffering very, very badly. It's a way of doing it," he said. [01:28.80]But Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren recently told The Associated Press that the country is not trying herd immunity. [01:39.28]Sweden has banned gatherings larger than 50 people, and closed schools for older children and universities. [01:48.24]It has told those over 70 to stay home to avoid the virus. [01:54.64]Schools for younger children, restaurants and most businesses are still open. [02:00.16]It appears to be normal life. [02:04.08]But, financial expert Johan Klockar says it is not normal life. [02:10.48]He and his wife work from home and avoid going out. [02:14.64]They see few people, and they limit their son to seeing people at school and sports activities. [02:23.08]"Society is functioning, but I think it's...limited," Klockar said. "We basically stay at home." [02:31.64]Most businesses in Sweden are still open, but the economic cost of the pandemic is already being felt. [02:40.24]Last week, unemployment rose by 25,350 Swedes, officials said. [02:49.08]It is a greater one-week rise in joblessness than during the 2008 financial crisis. [02:56.36]Nearby, neighboring Denmark is already considering reopening society. [03:02.40]The country put a lockdown in place four weeks ago, closing schools, borders and businesses. [03:10.64]This week, the prime minister said acting quickly had helped Denmark avoid the tragedy that hit Italy and Spain. [03:20.32]Together, those two nations have had 37,000 deaths. [03:26.00]They are just beginning to consider a return to normal life. [03:30.96]For weeks, the percentage of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Sweden and Denmark were about the same. [03:39.72]But while the economic results of the lockdown are being felt in Denmark, [03:44.80]Sweden's death rate is now nearly double Denmark's. [03:49.32]After a sharp increase in deaths in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven [03:55.36]asked for an emergency law permitting the quick closure of public spaces and transportation if needed. [04:05.04]Lofven also warned citizens to prepare for possibly thousands of deaths. [04:11.92]Tegnell, however, said that Sweden's way is still the most effective, but he admitted that the future is unclear. [04:22.72]He believes Sweden will avoid the sudden increase in infections that may occur when a lockdown is removed. [04:31.48]"I think both Norway and Denmark are now very concerned about how you stop this complete lockdown [04:40.60]in a way so you don't cause this wave to come immediately when you start loosening up," he said. [04:50.36]Lars Ostergaard is a professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. [05:01.24]He agrees it is too soon to know which way is best. [05:06.52]"There is no right or wrong way," Ostergaard said. "No one has walked this path before." [05:14.52]I'm Jill Robbins. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM