“We who are adults need to be exactly that: adults. Not spread panic or rumours,” Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said recently in his first televised address to the nation since the start of the crisis. “No one is alone in this crisis, but each person has a heavy responsibility.”

The public’s response so far is largely indicative of the nation’s long-standing confidence in the state. A majority of Swedes watched and approved of his speech and believe the country can tackle the crisis well, according to a nationwide survey for Novus, a major polling company.

Stockholm’s public transport company SL says it saw passenger numbers fall by 50% on subway and commuter trains last week. Polls suggest three-quarters of Swedes are keeping at least a metre away from others at least some of the time. At least a third of Stockholmers are remote working, while Stockholm Business Region, funded by the city council, estimates that levels are well above 90% in the capital’s largest companies. Swedes also haven’t been panic buying as much as in other countries, although Lola Akinmade Åkerström remarks that “for one of the world’s top producers of toilet paper, it was surprising to witness the initial mad rush to stockpile toilet roll”.

But not all Swedes are taking the virus seriously. “I've still seen a lot of people [on social media] still hosting birthday parties with maybe 50 guests and going out clubbing, thinking nothing is the matter with that,” says Cajsa Wiking. “So I think definitely it is still a problem here, although it's different from other countries.”

“People are really keen to try and meet up, maybe because of the lack of social interaction you normally get through work,” adds Christoffer Carringer, a 29-year-old TV producer in Stockholm who says most people he knows are now working from home. He says his friends are “trying to be responsible” by going to the pub in groups of two or three and avoiding the most crowded places.

One mathematician has accused authorities of “playing Russian roulette” with the population by not introducing stricter rules, while several virologists including Professor Björn Olsen have called for Swedish authorities to follow other countries and “shut down everything that’s possible to shut down” as quickly as possible. Olsen disagrees with the Swedish Public Health Authority’s predictions that the population will quickly build up immunity, arguing this could take more than a year and is sceptical that the infection rate will level off during warmer summer months.

Akinmade Åkerström has also been critical of the current approach “considering the rise of infection cases and deaths around the world”. But she argues that strong support for authorities will help, should the country follow others into lockdown. “Most Swedes trust that the government has the best interest of society at heart and they will respond to stricter rules,” she says.

A connected population

History will be the judge of whether Sweden’s scientific and political policies hold up. But when it comes to day-to-day efforts to keep businesses and society functioning, Swedes’ working practices and passion for technology are two norms that are already playing out well during the corona crisis.