Sweden defends no mask policy

Sweden's health agency, in charge of sanitary recommendations in the fight against COVID-19, said Tuesday it won't urge people to wear face masks and that social distancing and proper hand hygiene should be enough to curb the disease. Sweden, which is an outlier in the way it is handling the outbreak of the virus, has one of the world's highest death rates per capita.

The country took a relatively soft approach to fighting the coronavirus, one that attracted international attention.Large gatherings were banned but restaurants and schools for younger children have stayed open.The government has urged social distancing, and Swedes have largely complied.Many European nations, including Germany,Spain, Italy and Greece, require masks to be worn in enclosed spaces and France and England have announced new rules on face masks this week, yet they are very rare across Scandinavia.

Sweden has defended its approach by saying the measures in place are able to be maintained for months, unlike full lockdown measures in other countries that led to a backlash in many places.So far, 5,545 have died of COVID-19 in Sweden but the number of severe cases and fatalities continues to drop and excess mortality is similar to previous years.

(Image Credit: AP)