Anders Tegnell: tougher restrictions not the right response to third Covid wave


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Tougher restrictions will not bring the third wave of coronavirus under control in Sweden, the architect of the country’s hands-off approach to the health crisis said.

Sweden, which has shunned strict lockdowns throughout the pandemic, recorded a near 10 per cent increase in Covid-19 admissions to intensive care last week.

The infection rate surged, with the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 rising by 16,427 since Friday, up from 14,063 cases week-on-week.

But epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said the country didn’t need additional restrictions.

"To shut more hasn't been shown to be a success story," Dr Tegnell said in an interview in daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

"What we need is more adherence to the advice and the restrictions already in place. I am extremely convinced that we have implemented the most important measures already.”

Most of Sweden’s schools remained open during the pandemic, but the government has gradually enforced limitations on public gatherings, opening hours for restaurants, alcohol sales and the number of people allowed in shops, among other measures.

Surveys show that people are paying less attention to the rules than before.

The country has registered more than 13,000 Covid-19 deaths, a rate per capita that is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours who opted for harder measures.

But excess mortality – a measure of how many more deaths a country has recorded than in an average period – was less in Sweden in 2020 than in most European countries.

RESULT

Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds:
 Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')

Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)

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Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away

It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.

The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.

But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.

At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.

The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.

Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.

And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.

At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.

And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.

* Agence France Presse

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