Sweden passed the grim mark of 5,000 deaths from the new coronavirus, as cracks began to emerge in the political consensus the government has until now enjoyed over its softer approach, according to AFP.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, a Social Democrat, insisted in a weekend televised interview that hospitalistions were down sharply and Sweden's strategy of not locking down “was not a failure”.

Sweden's political circles broadly supported the decision to not lock down, as did the general population. But there has been growing criticism in recent weeks over the government's struggles to get mass testing off the ground, which only began in earnest this week.

Parties on the right have also accused the government of hiding behind public health experts and failing to take responsibility in the crisis.