<p><span style="background-color: initial;">S<strong>outh Korea hits zero:</strong> </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/30/south-korea-records-no-new-domestic-cases-of-covid-19-for-first-time-since-february" target="_blank">No new locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19</a> have <span style="background-color: initial;">been recorded</span> in South Korea for the first time in ten weeks. South Korea was one of the first countr<span style="background-color: initial;">ies</span> outside of China to report a coronavirus outbreak, and has since <span style="background-color: initial;">e</span><span style="background-color: initial;">merged </span><span style="background-color: initial;">as </span><a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/8/20-1274_article" target="_blank">a global model for containment</a><span style="background-color: initial;">, using thorough contact tracing, social </span><span style="background-color: initial;">d</span><span style="background-color: initial;">istancing </span><span style="background-color: initial;">mea</span><span style="background-color: initial;">sures, and</span> widespread testing to curb the disease's spread. The country even managed to pull off a seamless <a href="https://www.gzeromedia.com/corona-voting-south-koreans-and-americans" target="_self">parliamentary election</a> on April 15, in which at least 66 percent of eligible voters took part without anyone contracting the disease. (Compare that to the Wisconsin presidential primary, in which at least <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/52-worked-voted-wisconsin-election-covid-19-70406317" target="_blank">52 </a><span style="background-color: initial;">voters or poll workers got sick with COVID-19 at polling stations, according to health officials in that state.) Still, South Korean authorities are keeping a close eye on what happens during several holidays that are approaching</span> – <span style="background-color: initial;">including Buddha's birthday, May Day, and Children's Day</span> – in which peopl<span style="background-color: initial;">e </span><span style="background-color: initial;">often </span><span style="background-color: initial;">tra</span><span style="background-color: initial;">vel or vis</span><span style="background-color: initial;">it family members.</span><br/></p><p><strong>Who wants to be Sweden? </strong>As<strong> </strong>countries around the world debate when and how to reopen their economies, many are looking to the example of a place that hardly even closed its own. Sweden, rejecting the drastic lockdowns seen elsewhere in Europe, has closed universities and banned large gatherings, but left elementary schools, bars, and restaurants open, while asking the Swedish people to observe social distancing practices on their own. Has it worked? Compared to Nordic neighbors with stricter lockdowns, Sweden's <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality" target="_blank">rate of 24 deaths per 100,000 people</a> is high: Denmark's is just 7 deaths per 100,000, while Norway's is a scant 3. But Sweden's rate is still lower than those of heavily locked-down countries like Italy, France, and Spain. There are two things to remember as the Sweden debate rages: first, lockdowns are meant primarily to slow the speed of the outbreak, so that hospitals aren't overwhelmed – Sweden's have not been. While critics say Sweden has needlessly let people die, supporters say the government smartly front loaded the inevitable fatalities without crushing its healthcare system or its economy. Second, Sweden is a unique case: it's a country with superb public healthcare (for all), relatively high <a href="https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2018-10/2018_Edelman_Trust_Barometer_Global_Report_FEB.pdf" target="_blank">trust</a> in government, and one of the second highest <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/europeans-work-home-careers/" target="_blank">work-from-home rates</a> in the world. In other words, unless you are Sweden, DON'T TRY THIS APPROACH AT HOME. </p>
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