I had to visit Stockholm twice in September to go to an Embassy. I caught the train from Copenhagen, where it was mandatory to wear masks on public transport (though not outside this).
As the train crossed the bridge into Sweden an announcement came over the intercom saying that we could now take our masks off.
As an outsider, I have had the chance to compare the way that a bunch of countries and populations have handled the pandemic. Perhaps the most stark shocks were actually in Copenhagen where I watched people queuing to get into pubs and sitting at densely packed tables at restaurants (September).
I'm always hesitant to judge because there are such complex dynamics at play and there is such and opportunity for biases to creep into what you see. But walking past it, it was hard not to wonder if it would come back to haunt them.
While visiting Sweden it was pretty clear that, aside from the masks, there was absolutely a change in behaviour (social distancing, hand hygiene). Compared to pre-pandemic visits.
The Radisson Blu had packaged up it's buffet breakfast into little containers for safety (that was a truly surreal breakfast -- tiny little glass jars of cheese).
I'm not saying Sweden's approach is right or wrong. The rest of the world hasn't been in any way consistent in their approach(es). But Sweden has definitely taken a different path on several issues.