VOA慢速英语2020 面对日益严重的疫情瑞典拒绝封城（在线收听）

Sweden has not banned public gatherings like most countries have because of the coronavirus pandemic.

由于冠状病毒的流行，瑞典并没有像大多数国家那样禁止民众集会。

Crowds recently gathered near the waterfront in Stockholm to enjoy the sun. Anders Tegnell said he is not worried. He is the country's medical official leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

最近，人们聚集在斯德哥尔摩的海滨享受阳光。安德斯·泰格内尔（Anders Tegnell）直言，他不担心（疫情）。他是该国的医疗官员，领导着对抗冠状病毒的斗争。

The 63-year-old has become famous in Sweden. He appears on television every day. He tries to calmly explain the development of the outbreak.

这位63岁的老人已经在瑞典出了名。他每天都上电视。他试图冷静地解释疫情的发展。

Countries across Europe have restricted the movement of their citizens, but Sweden has not. Tegnell says Sweden is finding a different way that is more "sustainable."

欧洲各国纷纷限制了本国公民的活动，但瑞典并未跟进。泰格内尔说，瑞典正在寻求一种更加“可持续”的另类方式。

Sweden is using what some call herd immunity. This can involve letting people become infected so that large numbers of people develop immunity in the population.

瑞典采取的方式是所谓的“群体免疫”。这可能包括放任人们感染病毒，从而使人群中大量的人产生免疫力。

President Donald Trump has said that Sweden is suffering as the result.

特朗普总统表示，瑞典最终会遭受痛苦。

"Sweden did that -- the herd. They called (it) the herd. Sweden is suffering very, very badly. It's a way of doing it," he said.

他表示，“瑞典就是这么做的——群体免疫。他们称之为群体免疫。瑞典的情况非常非常糟糕”。

But Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren recently told The Associated Press that the country is not trying herd immunity.

但是瑞典卫生部长莉娜最近告诉美联社，该国并没有采取群体免疫的措施。

Sweden has banned gatherings larger than 50 people, and closed schools for older children and universities. It has told those over 70 to stay home to avoid the virus.

瑞典已经禁止举行50人以上的聚会，并且下令高中和大学停课。此外，警告年逾70的老人不要外出以避免感染病毒。

Schools for younger children, restaurants and most businesses are still open. It appears to be normal life.

小学、中学仍正常开学，餐馆和大多数企业也正常营业。日常生活似乎没有受到影响。

But, financial expert Johan Klockar says it is not normal life. He and his wife work from home and avoid going out. They see few people, and they limit their son to seeing people at school and sports activities.

但是，金融专家约翰·克劳卡尔表示，这不是正常的生活。他和妻子已经居家办公，避免外出。他们接触的人很少，而且还警告儿子在学校和体育活动中避免与他人接触。

"Society is functioning, but I think it's...limited," Klockar said. "We basically stay at home."

“社会虽然在运转，但多多少少受到了限制，”克劳卡尔说道。“我们基本上都待在家里。”

Most businesses in Sweden are still open, but the economic cost of the pandemic is already being felt. Last week, unemployment rose by 25,350 Swedes, officials said. It is a greater one-week rise in joblessness than during the 2008 financial crisis.

瑞典的大多数企业仍在运营，但疫情造成的经济损失可见一斑。官员们表示，上周瑞典的失业人数上升至25350人。与2008年金融危机期间相比，这一周的失业率上升幅度更大。

Nearby, neighboring Denmark is already considering reopening society. The country put a lockdown in place four weeks ago, closing schools, borders and businesses.

邻国丹麦已经在考虑解除封锁。该国在四周前实施了封锁，关闭了学校、边境和企业。

This week, the prime minister said acting quickly had helped Denmark avoid the tragedy that hit Italy and Spain. Together, those two nations have had 37,000 deaths. They are just beginning to consider a return to normal life.

本周，丹麦首相表示，迅速采取行动帮助丹麦避免了步意大利和西班牙的后尘。这两个国家总共有37000人死亡。他们刚刚开始考虑恢复正常生活。

For weeks, the percentage of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Sweden and Denmark were about the same. But while the economic results of the lockdown are being felt in Denmark, Sweden's death rate is now nearly double Denmark's.

数周以来，瑞典和丹麦的新冠肺炎病例和死亡率大致相同。但是，虽然封锁带来的经济影响已经在丹麦显现，但瑞典的死亡率现在几乎是丹麦的两倍。

After a sharp increase in deaths in Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven asked for an emergency law permitting the quick closure of public spaces and transportation if needed. Lofven also warned citizens to prepare for possibly thousands of deaths.

在瑞典的死亡人数急剧上升后，首相斯蒂凡-洛夫文(Stefan Lofven)要求制定紧急法律，允许在必要时迅速关闭公共场所和交通工具。洛夫文还警告市民做好可能数千人病亡的准备。

Tegnell, however, said that Sweden's way is still the most effective, but he admitted that the future is unclear. He believes Sweden will avoid the sudden increase in infections that may occur when a lockdown is removed.

不过，泰格内尔表示，瑞典的方式仍然是最有效的，但他承认，未来形势不太明朗。他相信瑞典将会避免封锁解除后感染人数可能激增的情况。

"I think both Norway and Denmark are now very concerned about how you stop this complete lockdown in a way so you don't cause this wave to come immediately when you start loosening up," he said.

他说：“我认为，挪威和丹麦现在都非常关心如何在某种程度上停止这种完全的封锁，以便在放松管制的时候，不会立刻出现（感染激增）现象。”

Lars Ostergaard is a professor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. He agrees it is too soon to know which way is best.

拉尔斯·厄斯特高（Lars Ostergaard）是丹麦奥胡斯大学医院传染病系的教授。他也认为现在还不知道哪种防疫方法是最行之有效的。

"There is no right or wrong way," Ostergaard said. "No one has walked this path before."

“防疫方式不分对错，”奥斯特加德指出。“毕竟没人走过这条路。”

Words in This Story

pandemic– n. when a disease spreads quickly among a large number of people over a wide geographic area

sustainable– adj. able to be continued without causing severe problems or using up resources

outbreak– n. the sudden appearance of a disease or conflict

herd immunity– n. when a large part of a population cannot become infected with a disease because they have immunity to it

lockdown– n. a security measure of keeping prisoners in their cells; a situation when people are not permitted to go out for a safety-related reason

functioning– adj. to work or operate