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Some of the family celebrations are long gone. “I went for a walk with my 85-year-old father,” says economics teacher Monika Bütler (59) in an interview with the “CH Media” newspapers. “We celebrated Santa Claus together with the daughter and her two young sons and put on the masks right after breakfast.”
Bütler preferred Christmas. For good reason. The trained mathematician and economist is a member of the Corona task force. You have access to the best information about the pandemic. She has the general view. Your word has weight. And Bütler says: “The situation is critical, the risk of further deterioration is great.”
In an international comparison, Switzerland has a very high number of cases. “In hospitals, the occupancy of the intensive care units is high and the staff is very busy. The trend is going in the wrong direction: the number of cases does not decrease, it actually increases. We have had a large number of deaths for weeks with no tendency to improve. “
“People are tired of the crown”
Only very little is needed, then the number of cases will increase even faster. “The current development cannot be sustained for long. Postponed operations are already turning into emergencies and there are outbreaks in health institutions. “
To counter the situation, the Federal Council recently issued a second partial blockade. Valid from yesterday Tuesday. Bütler is not sure if it will be enough. “Closed restaurants and some stores were able to reduce the number of cases in French-speaking Switzerland for a while, now they are just stagnant.”
What went wrong “Besides the measures,” says Bütler, “people’s behavior is also important.” That was the great strength of Switzerland in the first wave. “The rules were much less strict than abroad, but they were followed very well. In the second wave, people are tired of corona. While mobility fell dramatically in March even before the lockdown, it hardly fell in autumn. “
“Passing the winter”
Bütler, otherwise a great defender of federalism, sees the political system at its limit. “In a crisis that requires quick decisions, there are only two solutions: either the Federal Council assumes responsibility, or the cantons must coordinate well enough to allow joint responsibility.”
Make other changes in the world of work. “We will not wake up in the same world,” he says of the time after Corona. “During the crisis, many trends that could already be observed before accelerated. The home office will continue to be popular, people will eat less lunch out, which in turn costs catering jobs. Therefore, it will take a lot of effort to train or retrain these people. “
However, the conclusion is that for the economist one thing is clear: “First we have to get through the winter.” (ise)
