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The canton of Geneva is facing a sharp increase in the number of corona cases. The Ministry of Health is now studying the possibility of massively expanding the search process. Image: AP / Keystone
Big Genève is watching you! Geneva is considering monitoring family events in the future
In the canton of western Switzerland, the number of Covid cases is above average. Now, the government is apparently looking to significantly expand tracking measures. This causes problems for politicians from left to right.
A birthday in a small family circle? Report! A dinner with friends? Report! If it were up to Geneva’s State Councilor Mauro Poggia, the process of tracking the crown in the canton of western Switzerland could soon expand massively. The executive politician has his sights set on private occasions within his own four walls.
The offensive does not come without a reason: in no other canton have there been so many cases of corona per 100,000 inhabitants as in Geneva. The canton of western Switzerland has 325 infected people in this count. They are followed by the Vaud (241) and the Valais and Neuchâtel (233). And three-quarters of the infections in Geneva are attributed to events in the private sector.
There could be high fines
Health Minister Poggia recently told RTS that he was considering tightening the screw in the future due to the sharp increase in the number of cases. If it were up to Poggia, it would be possible that the gatherings of family and friends would soon have to be reported to the canton, including a list of participants. Anyone who does not follow this call could face hefty fines.
Whether the cantonal government really dares to take this step will probably only be known after Wednesday’s regular meeting. It is also quite possible that Poggia only wanted to appeal to the discipline of the population with this threat.
Nazi comparison of CVP politician
Either way, the outrage is great, from left to right, as “Le Temps” writes. CVP describes the idea in a statement as an “unacceptable violation of the private and family sphere.” The president of the cantonal party, Delphine Bachmann, says that such a measure would not be accepted in any way by the population.
She warns of a tipping effect: if measures get out of hand, people could suddenly lose confidence in the authorities’ strategy and become more careless. And then, according to media reports, Bachmann even uses the Nazi club: “It would be counterproductive to become the Gestapo.”
Councilor: “You should apologize for it”
Bertrand Reich, cantonal president of the FDP, emphasizes that private houses are protected by the Geneva Constitution. Despite the virus, it is now about safeguarding fundamental rights and personal freedoms. And criticism also comes from the left: SP Grand Councilor Cyril Mizrahi says that monitoring private events would create a threatening climate and encourage denunciation.
“Such a statement is shocking,” says Thomas Wenger, a SP politician and a member of Bachmann’s Geneva council. Measures to overcome a health crisis compared to those of the Gestapo are totally out of place. “You should apologize for it and distance yourself from this statement,” Wenger says.
Her colleague from the Greens, Diego Esteban, does not take for granted that Bachmann has bad intentions, and also understands what she was trying to express. In other words, the disputed expansion of contact tracing measures could generate a climate of fear in which neighbors report each other. “But the comparison is, of course, inappropriate.”
Bachmann does not remember the Gestapo testimony
In any case, this comparison is completely inappropriate and she regrets it. “So I immediately asked the journalist to correct the quote in the online version.” In fact, the passage from the “Le Temps” website has since been adapted. The Gestapo settlement has been removed.
Bachmann goes on to explain: “For me it is a misunderstanding, and it is not my style at all to want to surprise the public with such inappropriate comparisons.” It was only important for her to point out that Geneva should not strive for a climate of denunciation or total surveillance. She is convinced that this would turn people away. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
