City in Sweden uses chicken poop against new coronavirus
The municipality of Lund, Sweden, has spread chicken droppings in its main park to try to avoid crowds and walks.
Image: Kazi Faiz Ahmed Jeem in Unsplash
The coronavirus pandemic has generated the most diverse reactions in the authorities of each country or city. While some try to deny the problem, others react creatively. The latter was the choice of the Swedish city of Lund, which spread chicken poop on the grass of its main park, in the hope that the stench will scare away any agglomerations, helping to contain the advance of the new coronavirus.
At this time of year, under normal conditions, Lund would be welcoming tourists and visitors to his annual Santa Valburga party, traditionally celebrated in Scandinavian countries. Due to the pandemic, however, the festivities were canceled by local authorities.
"Lund could very well become an epicenter of advancing coronaviruses," Gustav Lundblad, chairman of the local environmental committee, told the BBC in April. Putting chicken droppings on lawns, he says, is "a chance to fertilize the grass and at the same time make it stinky, so it's not pleasant to sit there for a beer."
Sweden's option of not implementing any type of "lockdown", as happened in most European countries, and keeping most schools, bars, restaurants and businesses open has been widely criticized among public health experts. The government just asked people to avoid crowding and maintain social distance.
The country has had far more Covid-19 infected and killed than its Nordic neighbors, which has earned the local government strong criticism from some Swedish scientists. There are those who cover a stricter quarantine, but so far Sweden has not experienced a collapse in its health care system.
"I have confidence in the strategy," Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven responded last week, according to Reuters. "One reason we've chosen this strategy is that we've supported (fighting the pandemic) agencies, and the measures are sustainable over time."
Reuters points out that the Swedish population is widely spread across its territory, and more than half of the homes are occupied by just one resident — the highest proportion in the European Union. In addition, the country has one of the highest levels of public confidence in its government.
