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Austria chooses a short lockdown. In Switzerland, however, there is agreement: a running of the bulls does not lead to a goal and could even make the situation worse.
It’s about a lot: the winter season, Christmas. That is why Austria is taking tough measures to address the high number of cases. The blockade is applied again: you are only allowed to leave for important errands or for “physical and mental relaxation.”
Save what can still be saved
The Austrian economy reluctantly agreed to the shutdown, but the disappointment can be felt especially in retail, which now has to move part of the Christmas business to the internet. It’s unfortunate, says Eva Voit, Marketing Director at Messepark Dornbirn. “Trade has been prepared and then comes the blockade, which of course is bitter.”
Nor is a normal winter season expected in the tourism industry, although that is precisely why measures are being taken. The director of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Commerce, Christoph Jenny: “The point now is really to use this lock to save what can still be saved.”
Different development of the number of cases.
The number of infections in Austria has exploded, especially in the past two weeks. Now the government wants to use the blockade to pull the cord.
Very different in Switzerland. The number of cases in both countries was roughly the same for a long time. Over the past 14 days, neighboring countries recorded around 1,000 new infections per day for every 100,000 inhabitants. The difference: in Austria the trend is currently up, in Switzerland it is slowly down.
Avoid the yo-yo effect
Is Switzerland on the right track to bypass a blockade and still have case numbers under control? Rudolf Minsch, chief economist at Economiesuisse, is convinced of this. The Federal Council has chosen “the right direction”. In his opinion, a lockdown is counterproductive in the fight against the crown: “It would only cause displeasure and in the worst case it would cause people to no longer adhere to the measures,” Minsch said. Also, there is a risk of a yo-yo effect after the lock ends. People do all these things that they weren’t allowed to do for a long time: meet people, celebrate. Minsch calls it a “need for compensation.”
Virginie Masserey from the Federal Office of Public Health also considers the yo-yo effect plausible: with a lockdown, as is done in Austria, the number of cases can be greatly reduced. “But you run the risk that the epidemic will return as soon as you open it again. Because the virus is not gone, it is still there. “
Both the trade association and the government are convinced of the Swiss style, provided the measures are consistently implemented by the population. The coming weeks will show if the drop in numbers is just a temporary phenomenon or if the measures will have a lasting effect.
