Despite worrying crown numbers: Federal Council sticks to special Swiss route, that’s correct

The state government does not want to deprive us of our enjoyment of winter sports, even in the face of an undesirable evolution in the number of cases, so the crown restrictions announced on Friday were moderate. Image: Skicolor Festival in Verbier.

KEYSTONE

Switzerland has not bent. Despite open criticism from Berlin, Rome and Paris, despite a real media campaign, especially in the German newspapers, despite voices also at home now calling for a strict Crown regime: Switzerland remains true to its liberal path.

This cannot be taken for granted and is certainly the result of a committed struggle in the state government itself. In recent days, more and more details have been leaked about the measures planned by the Minister of Health, Alain Berset, before and during the Christmas holidays.

Indiscretions increased resistance

The ultimate purpose of the indiscretions was to organize resistance against a de facto blockade on Switzerland as a ski nation. Parliamentarians, not only from tourist regions, then put pressure on the National Council and then on the cantons. In the end, the Federal Council had to stay behind Berset’s plans if it did not want to expose itself to concentrated criticism from the business and bourgeois parties.

What came out of that is a compromise. The restrictions in the ski areas – reduced occupancy in closed gondolas and entrance to ski huts only with free spaces – are manageable and much less drastic than general capacity reductions. The fact that restaurants across Switzerland are now required to collect contact details is not an exaggerated measure. And reducing the density of customers in stores is also a moderate requirement in practice.

The Federal Council governs, not the bureaucrats

It is not known what dynamism in the Federal Council led to this result. The truth is that the state government was not guided by bureaucrats, but by a keen sense of politics. First, the state government holds the cantons responsible for all measures. Ultimately, for example, you must decide whether the ski areas can remain open or not. This is wise because it means that the measurements are always closer to the bases.

Above all, the Federal Council is creating a level of support. Because if the cantons cannot demonstrate that their concepts will lead to a decrease in the epidemic, then the Federal Council can take control on December 8 or 11 and adopt stricter measures. The principle in Bern in relation to the cantons is: trust, control – command.

It can be reasonably argued if the timelines for this Federal Council re-evaluation are not very short. Because, given the inertia of an epidemic wave, it cannot be assumed that restaurant closures, as Graubünden announced on Friday, will be reflected in the number of cases as of December 8. But the data is primarily political and educational in nature anyway. Anyone who does not set deadlines and dates cannot refer to anything afterwards.

German rigor, French centralism

All in all, it can be said that with the decisions taken on Friday, Bern adheres to the liberal and pragmatic way of dealing with the epidemic. This contrasts nicely with German rigorism and the French centralized way in which Paris strangles the citizens of all air to breathe.

Critics, especially in those countries, but also in this country, may complain about this path that accepts the dead. Let me tell you: for politics to be responsible, it must always weigh interests. This also includes economic aspects. And that includes the question of the welfare of the great mass of the population. Celebrating Christmas or being able to escape the high fog for a few days on the slopes is part of it.

The price is a constant political readjustment. This may not seem particularly strict and epidemiologists will probably never want to understand it. But living in a country is more than avoiding death at all costs. At least if it should be habitable.