According to a variety of forecasts, the Swedish economy, which according to the strategy should not be hit so hard, is expected to decline in similar size as the Norwegian and Danish ones. Further, the Nordic countries were expected to create a so-called 'travel-bubble' in the Nordic region when other European regions did so. However, while Denmark, Norway and Finland opened up for travel between them, the borders to Sweden continued to be closed. Norway – which historically has had to come to terms with the fact that Sweden has been a leader in terms of demarcation of borders between the two countries – only temporarily opened up for travel to specific regions in Sweden, while Sweden never closed its borders to the other Nordic countries.
As the levels of infected people in all Nordic countries began to rise early in the fall, the Norwegian government and public health authorities saw themselves forced to close its borders and implement border controls in order to have control over any breakouts. Although the government and public health authority in Sweden has been recommending more and stricter measures to contain the spread of the virus during the fall, much of the responsibilities are still placed on local authorities and individuals, and the rate of infections continues to rise while the hospitals' capacities for care continues to be exhausted.
The main question we explore in this project is: