COVID-19 Lockdowns Had High Health, Economic Costs: Swedish Study

Closure of schools during the pandemic was deemed an ‘inefficient policy’ since children don’t face a high risk from the virus.

A worker waits on a bench in a residential area during the COVID-19 lockdown in the Huangpu district of Shanghai, China, on June 10, 2022. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Imposing restrictive lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic led to higher excess mortality in such nations while also damaging their economies, according to a recent Swedish study.

Published in the Economic Affairs journal on Feb. 11, the study—which looked at the health and economic effects of COVID-19 lockdowns in Sweden—found that its less restrictive COVID-19 policies led to lower excess mortality compared to many European nations that imposed stronger lockdown rules. Sweden also suffered a lower negative impact on gross domestic product (GDP) growth during the pandemic period.