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Switzerland has more corona cases than some of the regions that are on the risk list. The Federal Office of Public Health says “this is not the time” to adjust the rule. The number of new infections has risen to more than 1,400.
Holidays in Berlin will soon be much more complicated as well. Those returning from the German capital have to be quarantined for 10 days from Monday.
“They go up a lot and they go up fast. That worries us. “With these words, Anne Lévy, the new director of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), warned about the growing number of corona cases and the growing proportion of older people who are affected. At a conference In Bern, Lévy, who has only been in office for 10 days, commented on the pandemic situation in Switzerland.
The BAG had to report 1,487 new corona cases on Friday. This is the third time in a row that the value is above 1000, but a significantly higher amount is being tested than at the end of September. 23 people were recently hospitalized, 3 died.
In the spring, the Federal Council decided to block a similar number of new infections. At that time, however, the number of unreported cases was significantly higher because fewer tests were conducted. Virginie Masserey, Head of the Infection Control Section at FOPH, says: “The timing of the reaction does not depend on the number of cases.” There are several other relevant criteria such as the number of hospitalizations. However, it is time for the population to be more vigilant again. Therefore, BAG is changing the color of its campaign posters and replacing the light blue with a warning orange.
Veneto, Hamburg and Berlin are now considered risk areas
The BAG has again updated the list of risk areas. A special rule is in force for neighboring countries from the beginning of September. Border regions are not on the risk list. Therefore, the BAG analyzes the number of infections per region. As of Monday, for the first time, travelers arriving in Switzerland from the German federal states will also be subject to a quarantine obligation. Hamburg and Berlin are new on the list of risks.
In Austria, five federal states are now on the list, including Vienna and Salzburg. In France, most regions are considered risk zones, including Paris. In Italy there are also four new regions, including popular holiday destinations like Veneto and Sardinia. Several additional countries are also on the list, namely Slovakia, Georgia, Canada, Russia, Jordan, Iran, and Tunisia.
Criticism of the quarantine rule on the rise
Several MPs criticized the list of risks in the Tamedia newspapers on Friday. In general, critical voices are increasing, especially since Switzerland has clearly exceeded its own risk level: in the last two weeks, 83 new laboratory-confirmed infections were recorded in this country per 100,000 inhabitants. Switzerland includes countries in the risk list if they register more than 60 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a period of 14 days. Anyone entering from a risk zone must be quarantined for 10 days.
There are currently almost 24,000 people in quarantine in Switzerland, of which about 14,000 came from a country at risk, the rest had contact with an infected person. Another 3,773 people are in isolation because they tested positive for the virus.
The director of the BAG, Lévy, said of the criticism of the list: “We are still convinced that this is an important instrument, we have infections from people who enter.” BAG constantly reviews this rule. This also applies to the 10-day quarantine period. But another BAG representative emphasized that this was not the time to risk further infections by shortening the quarantine or adjusting the criteria. This is due to the delicate development of the pandemic.
Vaccines: several insured options
Nora Kronig from BAG said they had already started researching the question of a vaccine in the spring. Among other things, the BAG helped accelerate research and development. “Safety and efficacy must always be the focus,” Kronig said. Switzerland follows a multi-track strategy when it comes to purchasing a vaccine. Since it is not yet clear which product will hit the market first, Switzerland is in contact with several manufacturers who are working on a vaccine. So far, the Federal Council has ruled in favor of a 300 million Swiss franc purchase of vaccines.
Switzerland does not foresee any mandatory vaccination, emphasized the BAG experts. However, they want to be well informed about the benefits of vaccination. Swissmedic will examine the substances in detail before they are authorized in Switzerland.
Health directors want to restrict private events
Cantonal health directors asked in a press release on Friday to be careful. They also recommend once again that the cantons that are particularly affected by the crown measures be more stringent. In doing so, they primarily recommend a mask requirement, which should not only be applied in stores, but in all indoor public access spaces. Additionally, cantons with high contagion rates should introduce an upper limit for private events, if the Directors of Health Conference (GDK) has its way. The reason: there are particularly many infections there because the distance rules are less enforced.
The cantons of Geneva and Vaud in Switzerland continue to be the worst affected by the pandemic, followed by Ticino, Valais, Friborg and Neuchâtel. Zurich, which was also considered a Corona hotspot for a while, is now in the middle of the field in terms of the number of cases. Bern, where stricter measures will be applied from next Monday, even has comparatively few infections.
