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The crown measures decided by the Federal Council on December 22 have been in force in Switzerland since the beginning of the holiday season. Despite warnings from virologists since then that measures must be tightened due to the high number of cases and a number of risks, Bern did not tighten or relax measures at the end of the year.
Since the beginning of the holiday, Switzerland has been practically blind to reliable corona data. Current case numbers have been missing for days. The most recent figures for Dec. 31 show 4,391 new infections and 77 deaths, with a positivity rate of 14.3 percent. However, these figures are not representative.
Many testing centers were closed that day. The willingness of people showing symptoms and may have been infected with the coronavirus to take the test will also have been less during the holidays than on normal days.
Federal Council before delicate decisions
When the Federal Council meets for its first session of the year on January 6, the numbers will again become more significant. But the state government will have to rely on less reliable figures than usual to make possible decisions. The number of people who were infected during the holiday season will only become apparent gradually.
The federal task force also speaks of a “high number of unreported cases.” Actual new infections are likely to “significantly” exceed the 4,000 reported cases each day, he says. In its final assessment of the situation for the year, the working group called for “comprehensive and effective measures” to “avoid the need for even more stringent measures.”
In the Covid-19 pandemic, Switzerland “maneuvered itself into a precarious position,” says ETH economist Hans Gersbach. The end of the pandemic was “announced too soon.” Meanwhile, the country has “lost the balance between health policy and economic measures.” High hopes are pinned on vaccines. If Switzerland moves forward as quickly as possible with vaccinating the population, economic recovery will not be far either, Gersbach said. The vaccination campaign in many cantons will begin on Monday, January 4, but safe protection requires two doses of vaccine and it will be months before these drugs provide protection on a larger scale.
commuter
The Federal Council does not have much leeway on Wednesday. In this new year of hope, passenger traffic also begins as the year of Corona ended. Countries like France, Italy and Spain have taken tough measures in this regard.
The “confinement” of France during the confinement was intended to be allowed outside only for valid reasons. This also included walks and short walks, as well as the purchase of essential items such as food or medicine. There was a maximum of one hour within a kilometer of the day.
Anyone who couldn’t do their job from home in France had to complete a pass.
schools
Schools in Switzerland should also continue as normal as possible for the time being. Only the cantons of Nidwalden and Solothurn have extended school holidays by three days until January 6. In Canton Solothurn, distance learning is also available in the first week of classes in canton schools and vocational schools.
This, while schools in Germany, Austria and Great Britain remain closed longer, in Germany until January 10 for now. In London, all primary schools will be closed for the next two weeks. The authorities want to prevent children from taking place during the holidays and transmitting unrecognized infections in the classroom.
Limits
In response to the first wave of Covid 19 in the spring, massive mobility restrictions were imposed in Europe. The second wave brought more selective travel bans. On December 21, Switzerland imposed an entry ban and a retrospective quarantine for people from Great Britain and South Africa, where a highly aggressive viral mutation is spreading.
European governments currently do not want to know anything about the brutal measures of strict and comprehensive border controls, such as those carried out by some Asian countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand. When the second wave broke out, German Chancellor Angela Merkel (66) warned of new border closures. It is “important that the borders remain open, that there is a functioning business cycle and that we fight the pandemic together,” Merkel said at an EU video summit in late October.
Difficult travel requirements, such as the obligation to quarantine, already act as border controls in Switzerland. Otherwise, travel across national borders remains virtually unlimited. Even foreign travelers, who mainly drive to work in the metropolitan areas of Basel, Geneva, Ticino and Zurich, are currently not subject to any restrictions by their own governments.
