Finland and Norway Avoid Covid-19 Lockdowns but Keep the Virus At Bay

Strict and early knockdowns and consistent public health messaging have helped Australia effectively eliminate Covid-19. Now, the country and its residents have largely returned to business as usual, despite many citizens still waiting to receive the Covid vaccine.

When Covid-19 cases began to be reported in Washington state, the state government – at the suggestion of local health officials – enacted some of the most stringent restrictions in the nation. Although these actions did not come without trade-offs, in Seattle, the strategy has resulted in "the lowest death rate of the 20 largest metropolitan regions in the country."

Despite being a small and historically underresourced nation, Bhutan has managed to contain the spread of the coronavirus and avoid all but one death from the virus during the entire duration of the pandemic thus far. Government officials acted swiftly when news of the novel coronavirus became public and implemented immediate testing, contact tracing, and quarantine measures that were well-received by citizens. According to a local journalist, "I don’t think any other country can say that leaders and ordinary people enjoy such mutual trust. This is the main reason for Bhutan’s success.”

Finland, Norway, and Denmark are three countries that have largely been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 and keep average daily deaths low, by implementing some of the "most relaxed combinations of restrictions." Although the virus has not been entirely eradicated, the success so far has been tied to a high rate of public compliance, preventative measures, and clear communication.

A combination of luck, learning, local responses, and listening has kept Germany's coronavirus cases manageable, even as the pandemic continues to impact much of the world. In particular, the ability to enact decentralized approaches and locally scale-up testing in conjunction with a high rate of trust in public health departments proved to be especially impactful.

Leaders of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota acted early and aggressively when the coronavirus pandemic began sweeping the nation, and so far, it has appeared to have helped the region to keep the caseload low. Using knowledge from previous outbreaks, focusing on community-information management and keeping in close communication with state officials, the Fond du Lac Band "has largely managed to stay out of the headlines."

Finland has been able to keep their COVID-19 infection rate and death toll much lower than other countries by "shutting down rapidly" and relying on a law on preparedness that was devised after the Winter War in 1939-40. The law, which "explicitly mentions pandemics," helped the country to stockpile medical and protective equipment. According to Sweden's state epidemiologist, “Their level of preparedness is just way beyond anything we would even dream about in Sweden."

Italy, once a major hotspot for Covid-19 cases, has seen a significant decrease in the spread of the coronavirus after implementing strict government regulations including mandatory travel restrictions and isolation protocols. The success of the measures has been evident as the country begins to reopen – lifting restrictions in two-week increments to account for the "virus’s incubation period" – with no sign of the virus still spreading and hospitals remaining largely empty of critical cases.

When coronavirus first appeared in the United States, Seattle emerged as an epicenter, but just a few months later, the city and state have largely reduced the overall caseload. Local officials say that a unified approach, consisting of a combination of measured governmental action and strategic conversations between leaders and tech giants, was the key to slowing the spread while also gaining buy-in from state residents.

An informal awareness campaign led by Chinese Hospital in San Francisco's Chinatown has played a prominent role in helping to keep the spread of COVID-19 cases to a minimal in the community. Working with local health officials and using the city’s Chinese-language media, the hospital and community leaders implemented proactive protocols that included widespread mask-wearing and business closures. Although tourism and business revenue has significantly decreased, the community has been able to avoid outbreaks.