Social Distancing Policies in the Coronavirus Battle: A Comparison of Denmark and Sweden

Ida Seing, Nina Thórný Stefánsdóttir, Jeanette Wassar Kirk, Ove Andersen, Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen, Thomas Kallemose, Evert Vedung, Karsten Vrangbæk and Per Nilsen
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Ida Seing: Department of Behavioral Science and Learning, Linköping University, SE 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Nina Thórný Stefánsdóttir: Department of Clinical Research, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
Jeanette Wassar Kirk: Department of Clinical Research, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
Ove Andersen: Department of Clinical Research, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen: National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, DK-1455 Copenhagen, Denmark
Thomas Kallemose: Department of Clinical Research, Copenhagen University Hospital—Amager and Hvidovre, DK-2650 Hvidovre, Denmark
Evert Vedung: Institute for Housing and Urban Research (IBF), Uppsala University, SE 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
Karsten Vrangbæk: Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, DK-1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
Per Nilsen: Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, SE 581 83 Linköping, Sweden

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: Social distancing measures have been a key component in government strategies to mitigate COVID-19 globally. Based on official documents, this study aimed to identify, compare and analyse public social distancing policy measures adopted in Denmark and Sweden regarding the coronavirus from 1 March 2020 until 1 October 2020. A key difference was the greater emphasis on laws and executive orders (sticks) in Denmark, which allowed the country to adopt many stricter policy measures than Sweden, which relied mostly on general guidelines and recommendations (sermons). The main policy adopters in Denmark were the government and the Danish Parliament, whereas the Public Health Agency issued most policies in Sweden, reflecting a difference in political governance and administrative structure in the two countries. During the study period, Sweden had noticeably higher rates of COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations per 100,000 population than Denmark, yet it is difficult to determine the impact or relative effectiveness of sermons and sticks, particularly with regard to broader and longer-term health, economic and societal effects.

Keywords: policy measures; social distancing; laws; executive orders; recommendations; comparative research; document analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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