Governments have taken different stands on the coronavirus pandemic and have imposed various degrees of restrictions in their countries. Some of them have enacted strict lockdowns to keep the spread of coronavirus in check. As soon as the disease appeared in the Middle East in March, Jordan, for example, immediately locked all citizens inside their houses, threatening to incarcerate those who breached curfew. These severe measures have paid off: Jordan is one of the few countries in the world where the loss of human lives during the pandemic was minimal. As of writing, there are 9 Jordanians dead out of only 795 infected.
At the opposite extreme are the countries that have thrown caution to the winds. The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, takes the coronavirus outbreak lightly, treating it as an old wives’ tale, and has so far announced no restrictions and no social distancing rules in Brazil. When he appears in public, Bolsonaro with bravado wears no mask, apparently expecting the whole country to follow his glorious example. His nonchalant attitude to the disease has brought the morbidity rate connected to coronavirus in Brazil to frightening heights. Analysts predict that the country will soon surpass the total COVID-19 cases in the United States, which are the maximum in the world at the moment. The deplorable situation in Brazil makes it the first choice of Oxford University scientists who are ready to test their COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine will be administered to 2000 Brazilian frontline workers fighting against the coronavirus pandemic in Sao Paulo this month.
Sweden is another country where quarantine laws are lax. The government has never forced Swedish citizens to be in isolation. It has only issued social distancing guidelines and has encouraged people to stay home whenever possible. Large gatherings outside have been limited to 30 people, but, apart from these inconveniences, the daily life in Sweden has been going on as in the pre-quarantine times. All these months, when the biggest part of the world has been locked down, Swedish people have been eating in restaurants and drinking in bars. They have also been allowed to pumper themselves in beauty salons, work out in gyms, and go on a shopping spree in malls. Preschools and elementary schools have been educating children, and football teams have been honing their skills in parks. As is the case in Brazil, coronavirus is not scared into retreat in Sweden by its citizens’ bravery. The countrywide death rate in May was 27 per 100,000 people, the highest per capita in all of Scandinavia. As of June 7, there are 43,887 cases of infections in Sweden and 4,656 fatalities, though on the last day of May there were no deaths reported, for the first time since March 11. The government hopes that no more people will die in Sweden and feels ready to lift those few restrictions that it had imposed.
Sweden’s neighboring Finland was more cautious and introduced coronavirus restrictions in March, when coronavirus hit Europe. Organizers of many sports matches, concerts, and other events across Finland cancelled their plans in an effort to prevent the spread of the disease. Schools were closed, and many Finns were obliged to work from home. All land-based casinos were shut down, and so were numerous slot machines located across the country in supermarkets, gas stations, and kiosks. Veikkaus, the Finnish state-owned gambling agency, even suspended lottery and raffle draws, though it promised in March to continue selling coupon games and scratch cards at dealerships. As Casino Helsinki, Pelaamot, and Feel Vegas sites closed their doors, Finnish players could not help migrating to virtual casinos, called in Finnish “nettikasinot.” Unwilling to disappoint its customers, Veikkaus assured them that they would find a rich arsenal of games and themed slot machines on its website.
On June 1, Finland began to ease lockdown. Finns are now free to go to libraries, theaters, cinemas, fitness clubs, and swimming pools. They are allowed to gather outside in a company of 50 people in restaurants and organize small weddings and birthday parties. Sport teams, including the Finnish Football League, have already resumed their training. The Finnish sports minister even said that the government’s limit on gathering would be broken so that sport lovers could enjoy matches at the stadium. Finns can come to sporting events to root for their favorite teams in large crowds, provided they maintain some distancing and wash their hands. Finish people can also travel abroad to countries in Europe’s Schengen open-border area. Domestic tourism within Finland is also permitted.
Land-based casinos in Finland are about to follow in the footsteps of the American casinos that have lately been reopening in many states. Needless to say, Finnish gamblers will be glad to enter the premises of the Finnish real-world casinos or play slot machines in supermarkets after gambling for almost three months exclusively online.
