Commentators are taking the Federal Council to court hard



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While the Federal Council was widely praised for its good management of the crisis during Corona’s first wave in the spring, it now faces a wave of criticism.

“The New Zurich Times”

“It is not five to twelve, but noon,” writes the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” in a comment on the latest measures by the Federal Council to contain the corona virus. If Switzerland wanted to get the crown pandemic back under control, everyone would have to come together now: population, economy and politics. The strength of the second wave had been underestimated for too long. And one waited too long. The rethinking must take place in the head. The Federal Council’s package of measures is a wake-up call. Everyone is asked to limit themselves to the extent that they expose themselves and others to the risk of infection as little as possible.

“Tages-Anzeiger”

According to the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the Federal Council is acting too cautiously in the fight against the coronavirus. Compared to other countries and the measures taken by the Canton of Valais, the state government does not go that far. The Federal Council weighed more the wishes of the economy. That is a risky strategy. The weakest are at risk. The Federal Council was caught in the web of federalism. The exponentially growing Covid numbers again confirmed that responsibility is not divisible. The Federal Council should now return to the extraordinary situation and carefully guide the country through the winter crisis.

“Blick TV”

With the Federal Council’s package of measures, Switzerland has one last chance to reduce the number of cases and prevent hospitals from being overloaded, commented the editor-in-chief of “Blick” on the latest development. In the last weeks a total failure of the cantonal governments and the Federal Council was noted. They would have done nothing and would have left the people. It was already foreseeable that Switzerland would slide into catastrophe with its eyes. The measures now decided are the minimum necessary. Hopefully this is the only way to avoid a second crash.

CH Average

According to the editor-in-chief of CH Media, the crown measures resolved by the Federal Council mainly restrict leisure and cultural life. Work life and everyday businesses are less affected. The Federal Council has the right to let the economy run as far as possible, and therefore to secure jobs. But people don’t just need work. It withers without culture, theater, museums and cabaret. Time has been lost several times in recent weeks and months to control the pandemic. It’s not too late. Switzerland has one of the best health systems in the world. Each person must now do their part to stop the virus.

“Southeastern Switzerland”

In the corona pandemic, it is important not to waste any more time, commented “Südostschweiz”. Switzerland watched for too long, while neighboring countries had long ago decreed closures, night curfews and the obligation to wear masks outdoors. Neighbors do not have the situation under control either, but better than Switzerland. A lot is happening in the canton of Graubünden. The winter season is just around the corner, with a very uncertain prognosis. There is only hope if the number of infections drops and Graubünden is removed from the list of risk areas. It is up to the canton to decide on new restrictions. He’s still doing it without him. The question is how much longer.

“The waistband”

The late reaction of the federal government and the cantons to the second crown wave is also addressed by the editor-in-chief of the Bern “Confederation”. But it is too cheap to complain about a system failure due to omissions. Unless there is a pandemic, the system works perfectly. Thanks to the federalist division of power and the need to find balanced solutions, Switzerland is one of the most successful countries in the world. It is important that the authorities learn. The Federal Council must ensure that a large part of the population does not withdraw from the fight against the virus. Pandemic fatigue is currently the greatest danger.

“20 minutes”

The Federal Council has drawn up a good package of measures, the local newspaper “20 Minuten” quotes the Ticino infectologist Andreas Cerny. It is appreciated that the rules are in effect from midnight. However, the restrictions should have been decided much earlier. Valuable time was lost. The new measures are probably the lowest common denominator between the federal government and the cantons. There is still room for improvement. Cerny was convinced that the measures will flatten the coronavirus infection curve. The main thing now is to reduce the number of hospitalizations and the occupation of intensive care beds.

“Watson.ch”

The online news portal “watson.ch” is taking a tough case with the state government. The Federal Council’s approach recalls the Mani Matter song “Dr Alpeflug” about two friends on a sports plane. The passenger tries to tell the pilot that the gas is running low. But he doesn’t understand a word from the engine noise. When the engine ran out, they both would have recognized the situation. In other words, to deal with a pandemic, the government must involve the people. The population is only conquered with competent action, complete information, honest communication and a culture of transparent error. The exact opposite has been observed in recent weeks.

“Time”

The western Swiss daily “Le Temps” sees professional sports as the loser of the latest crown measures of the federal government. The situation is like that of a skier who returns after a long injury and tears his ligaments on the third lap of the second race. The restriction to 50 spectators is synonymous with closure in sport. And this at a time when clubs had invested a lot of effort in a protection concept that was efficient and generated high costs. The conclusion for the future can only be: just don’t plan anything. But planning and reliability are extremely important in sport.

“Tribune de Genève”

According to a comment in the “Tribune de Genève”, the Federal Council could have responded to the rapid spread of the corona virus a week earlier. The consultation with the cantons wasted time unnecessarily. Compared to other countries in Europe, Switzerland is in a bad position. There is no point asking who is to blame. Switzerland is in the middle of the second wave. Compared to the measures adopted by the Federal Council in March, the current resolutions are less drastic and are already in force in some cantons. The next few weeks should show whether the Federal Council had acted firmly enough or should have taken the reins even more into its own hands.

“Le Quotidien Jurassien”

With the package of measures to contain the coronavirus, the Federal Council is taking a welcome step to end the cacophony of recent weeks, writes the editor-in-chief of “Quotidien Jurassien” in his comment. A minimum of national regulations is needed. Cantons would still have the option of enforcing stricter regulations if necessary. It is important that the rules are easy to understand for the population. There is still a lot of persuasion to be done here, as there are still a lot of open questions. The decisive factor for the success of the measures will be that each individual takes his responsibility seriously.

“Mail”

The Federal Council took the curve at the last minute, comments the Francophone daily “Le Courrier”. The nursing staff had unequivocally sounded the alarm bell. That increased the pressure. The Swiss population was already depleted after the first wave. That is understandable. For its part, the economy has not taken problems seriously enough for a long time. It remains to be seen who controls the federal measures that have now been decided. And finally, measures to protect employment and wages were lacking in the Federal Council’s package, criticizes the newspaper.

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