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Switzerland must learn to deal with the virus without locking up people, the Swiss finance minister said in an interview.
Against the backdrop of the growing number of corona cases, Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer has warned of hysteria. What is needed is fact-based analysis, Maurer said in an interview with “Switzerland at the weekend”.
General tightening is not convenient. “It cannot be that schools are closed again and people are locked up. We have to learn to deal with the virus, with a consistent implementation of the measures. But we have to be able to live! ” (read herewhat the Federal Council measures intends to introduce new features from Monday).
You shouldn’t look at them Development of new infections be narrowed alone, Mason said. It also depends on hospital admissions and deaths. Only for Corona only a few come to the hospital. There are practically always previous illnesses.
Switzerland has not dealt badly with the crown crisis so far. The country has found its own sensible path. It is important to continue down this path and balance it over and over again (the entire Federal Council decides how things will continue in Switzerland Sunday at an emergency meeting). The finance minister said it cost a bit too much.
High deficit in the federal treasury
In the ordinary accounts, instead of the budgeted surplus of 300 million francs this year Give a deficit of around 3 billion Swiss francs. According to the extrapolation, the extraordinary invoice will have expenses of around 17.8 billion Swiss francs.
For 2021, the finance department is budgeting for a deficit of 2.6 billion francs, Maurer said, updating estimates from mid-August. This also includes extraordinary expenses. “By 2022 we see a deficit of another billion,” Maurer said. But there are great imponderables.
Costs of up to 30 billion Swiss francs
All the costs of the corona pandemic currently amounted to between 25 and 30 billion francs. Maurer reiterated earlier statements that there would be no tax increases or an austerity package. Thanks to the good federal budget so far, Switzerland can reduce additional debt over time even without such measures.
Much will depend on how the world economy develops. All of this is not over yet. Maurer appealed to financial discipline. “Because once we survive the crown crisis, the economic damage will continue for years,” the finance minister said in the interview.