This is a seemingly fair, balanced and knowledgeable "general interest" (i.e. not overly technical but evidence based) take on the Swedish "experiment" and experience with COVID.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch ... =TNY_Daily
I think the entire article is worth your time if you care at all or are at all curious about these issues, but for the lazy among you here's what I consider to be the key paragraph:
"Tegnell’s [the head of Sweden's public health agency; kind of Fauci w/ real power] prediction of a tapering epidemic curve and quickly-attained immunity never came to pass. Sweden’s per-capita case counts and death rates have been many times higher than any of its Nordic neighbors, all of which imposed lockdowns, travel bans, and limited gatherings early on. Over all in Sweden, thirteen thousand people have died from covid-19. In Norway, which has a population that is half the size of Sweden’s, and where stricter lockdowns were enforced, about seven hundred people have died. It’s likely that some simple policy changes—especially shutting down visitations to nursing homes sooner, and providing more P.P.E. and testing to nursing-home staff—would have saved lives. And the strategy doesn’t seem to have helped the economy much: the Swedish G.D.P. fell by around three per cent, better than the European average, but similar to the drop in other Nordic countries."
The author seems to sidestep a conclusion on the "mask issue" but lays out the arguments against wearing them (as well as her own family's experience not wearing them) pretty well and at the very least stops short of an endorsement of that approach. Please read the article and draw your own conclusions but I think she's saying that targeted mask wearing is appropriate, maybe even essential, but broad requirements to wear masks in all circumstances may be more than is necessary. But again, I think she purposely avoids a definitive conclusion on this particular issue and your mileage may vary.
All opinions and commentary in my posts are solely my own and are made in my personal capacity.