Thoughts From A Swede.
You have probably heard that Sweden has got broad media attention for its soft approach to the new coronavirus outbreak. 6,000 confirmed cases, but we're still not in lockdown. Instead, they issue recommendations and are telling citizens to "take responsibility".
"Sweden’s response to the coronavirus pandemic is about taking the right measures at the right time, because different measures are effective at different points in time. The country’s response is also partly based on voluntary action – for example: the authorities recommend people with symptoms and over-70s to stay home rather than enforce a nationwide lockdown." - More Info
I can tell you that people are terrified for various reasons right now. It's either due to the risk of becoming really ill from the virus, that relatives will be infected, that someone they know dies because of COVID 19... But that is not all. People are terrified of losing their jobs along with all of this.
I work with psychiatry, more specifically in a psychiatric ward and we are being updated with new guidelines more or less on a daily basis. One of the things that is confusing but that also angers me and many of my colleagues are the fact that we within psychiatry seems to be "outside" the rest of the Hospital.
For instance, restraining orders. Or the limitations of visits. Rather quickly, we stopped allowing relatives to visit our patients to limit the spread. That was obviously for safety reasons. We want to limit the spread.
The entire Hospital is in "lockdown" in that sense, but we still allow our patients to leave the department. So, our patients can basically go home over the weekend and come back to us after a day or two.
Also, something people need to understand is that mental health care is about helping people who suffers mentally, and one of the best ways of doing that is to give them medicine and to let them go back home again. Sure, that is obviously explained in the easiest way, but that's what it's all about. In a nutshell.
We treat patients but the goal is to stabilize them enough so they can live their lives at home again. To do that, they need to be home. They need to be with their kids, their partners, mom & dad etc. They need to be around their relatives, at work and stuff like that.
They need to do the things they usually do, and the things they did before they came to us. With this whole corona-situation, no one is allowed to visit our patients, but we "gladly" push our patients home over the weekend...
- And that is how we are being treated.
We, nurses, assistant nurses, doctors, psychiatric nurses etc. All of us are taking huge risks. Many of us are driving to and from our jobs by public transportation. We endanger ourselves and our loved ones. To some extent, on a daily basis.
We Get Nothing For Doing That.
I have several friends working at warehouses. I know people working as teachers. All of them are staying home right now. Not because they are sick, but because they are being told to stay home. They still get their salaries and they keep their jobs. At least for the time being.
Some of them lose 8% of their salaries, but most of them are home with 100%. So, lose 8% of your monthly income and stay home all day. That's a decent deal if you ask me.
I work a minimum of 40 hours per week. I work different shifts and I get nothing extra on top of my salary for doing that. Due to the extreme situation we are facing, I can also be brought in to work whenever they need me. They can simply just tell me at whatever time they want, to work, and I need to do it. I can't refuse.
I don't get any bonuses for doing my job. Instead, I continue to sort of put myself and others at risk by going to work.
- Isn't that weird?
Isn't it weird that I have to work a minimum of 40 hours per week, putting myself and others at risk, while others like many of my friends, can stay home and keep their monthly income? Isn't it weird that I don't get anything extra at all for doing everything I do?
Look, this is not about things being fair or not. This is not about money. I knew long before I started to study that I wouldn't be rich by working within the health care sector... But I wasn't expecting COVID 19 to appear, and I never imagined Corona spreading this much fear and horror around the world either...
There are a few things I long for when COVID 19 ends. 
I miss spending time with my mother and my grandmother. I want to spend time with them without having thoughts of corona and without the discussions of COVID 19. The entire "corona-situation" is literally eating up everyone's time and mind. All of us, my mother, grandmother and I are in the risk group as well.
It would be wonderful to go back to the "normal state" again where I can care for the ones I love properly, without the worry over COVID 19.
Another thing I long for is going to work without hearing stuff about corona/covid 19 and to help people who suffers from mental illness without having the added pressure of becoming sick or spreading the virus. Also, to work without the added stress of working a ton of extra hours and to be on call 24/7.
Those things are extremely stressful and it's literally impossible to feel free when you have spare time or when you are off work. Even when I'm not working I still can't relax properly. I need a good break to charge my batteries.
The last thing I will mention, even though I obviously long for more things than that, is to be outside and to see people without fear in their eyes. Without masks, gloves or other safety equipment. I just wish we will go back to our "normal state" again...
- With more experience and knowledge.