The situation is reminiscent of the time in March when the shutdown occurred: Federal Council appeals also sound similar – Switzerland

So now it is back, the sound of March, in three languages, was launched yesterday by Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga towards the country. “Another shake is needed,” said Sommaruga. He made sure to look the country in the eye, the country that just doesn’t know where it is going. Corona was barely able to do so, but now the numbers are skyrocketing, the Federal Office of Public Health yesterday reported 2,600 new cases.

The federal president demands a jolt, and it is not the first time. He did it once before, in March, that Monday that no one in Switzerland will soon forget because the Federal Council closed everything at that time: shops and restaurants, hair salons and cinemas.

Sommaruga is back

Now the federal president spoke again as then, appealed, assumed responsibility. “Everyone has to participate,” he said. He spoke of the “grave situation”. The trend to break. Sommaruga had held back for a long time. Now she returns to assume the role of country mother, which she had to assume in spring. And get it right by doing it.

So go back to frame 1? No, Switzerland is still a long way from that. But things can happen quickly in these times. And the situation has recently reached a critical point. Matthias Egger, former chairman of the Corona Task Force, posted a graphic online yesterday. It shows a curve with the Swiss case numbers that shoots up almost vertically. Beyond the US “We are getting closer to Spain and the UK,” Egger wrote. All three countries have one thing in common: they are not setting a good trap to deal with the corona pandemic.

Switzerland did not return in March, even if the number of reported cases is currently falling from spring records. This is also due to the fact that the number of undiscovered cases was much higher at that time. But the signs are worrying. Health Minister Alain Berset, who yesterday sat in front of the media with Sommaruga after the crisis meeting with the cantons, admitted that Corona has once again surprised everyone.

They knew that winter would be difficult. But this increase, at this rate, with this force, and in early October, was “worrisome,” Berset said. This was expected later, the Freiburg native added. And then it was “a riddle” for which there was no explanation. Berset emphasized that the situation in the hospitals was under control. But he also said that the growing number of cases will soon make itself felt there.

Anyone expecting a strong hand from Bern was disappointed.

Not in March: that also applies to measurements. Anyone hoping to move away from crown federalism was disappointed. Keep your distance, wash your hands: these are still “the best measures,” said Alain Berset. A federal councilor taking the reins? Nothing. However, there are many indications that the federal government will soon issue more requirements, even if Berset once again emphasized yesterday that the cantons were “in the lead.”

Lukas Engelberger, president of the Conference of Directors of Health (GDK), was yesterday in Bern for these cantons. He stressed that the cantons must now examine the mix of measures. And he hopes there will be more “sharpening” in many places, especially on the topics of mask requirements, event sizes, and food rules. In particular, the private meetings, said the Basel-Stadt health director, caused great concern in the cantons.

Engelberger also made it known that he had nothing against federal intervention on certain issues. In the special situation that Switzerland has experienced since mid-June in the fight against the corona pandemic, the cantons are really responsible. However, after a hearing, the federal government can take action, as it has already done with the nationwide mask requirement on public transportation.

The federal government also provided the setting for the major events. These major events, which have only been allowed again since the beginning of the month, should not be targeted, at least for now. Health Minister Alain Berset stressed on Wednesday that there is no reason to think that major events are “a problem.”

On the other hand, it is foreseeable that the Federal Council will soon establish more requirements for the mask requirement. GDK president Engelberger more or less invited the federal government to take it into account. He has the impression that “the issue of masks is the reason for a national regulation” with minimum requirements, Engelberger said. However, with the additional rules for events, the CVP politician sees a greater need for differentiation.

Today it becomes more concrete

It is already getting more concrete today. GDK’s Board of Directors meets with Federal Councilor Berset. The result could be stricter recommendations from the GDK, for example, regarding the size of events. A decision by the Federal Council on the subject of mask requirements will take a long time to come. A government meeting is necessary for the change to the Covid-19 regulation. One of these could follow in the next few days.

A decision released yesterday by the conference of health directors in eastern Switzerland shows how much the cantons still disagree on the issue of mask requirements. He proposed a package of measures. The goal: to avoid a patchwork quilt as much as possible. However, not even Switzerland’s eastern neighbors were able to take a common position on the issue of mask requirements. The cantons should decide autonomously on this issue.