People dine at a restaurant patio in central Stockholm, capital of Sweden, on Aug. 9, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

In an interview, Gui Congyou, Chinese Ambassador to Sweden, was asked if he agreed with the notion that Sweden has failed its fight against the epidemic. Ambassador Gui respectfully replied that, "we will not point fingers at Sweden's internal affairs." 

The ambassador's restrained response reflects the grace and kindness of the Chinese government. As a media person, I don't have to be so diplomatic. I can say with concern that the fight against the epidemic in Sweden was an absolute failure. The Swedish government took the lead in advocating "herd immunity" and even fooled some public intellectual in Chinas at that time. I immediately wrote an essay warning that the concept of "herd immunity" violated human rights. As a result, nearly 8,000 people in this country of about 10 million population have died of COVID-19 so far. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 360,000. The Swedish government should reflect on how it has led its country into this nightmare.

The latest move by the Swedish government is to call on the public to "wear masks." This is common sense in the medical community, yet the government has failed to push out this policy. It is pathetic to see such a developed country sink into such a state.