Swiss Review 3/2020

Swiss Review / June 2020 / No.3 20 Society RENAT KUENZI* COVID-19 has taken hold in Switzerland. Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes it – is indiscriminate. Anyone can catch it. Suddenly, the peoplewhomake decisions on behalf of Swit- zerland’s population of 8.5 million no longer have any reli- able answers. Frompoliticians to business leaders. The sev- en-member Federal Council is governing the country in crisis mode after having declared an ‘extraordinary situa- tion’ allowing it to introduce measures that were last seen in the SecondWorldWar. It gives the government far-reach- ing powers. When it comes to distilling and explaining these mo- mentous decisions to the Swiss public, oneman has been a constant presence for weeks: Daniel Koch, a Bernese doc- tor and head of the CommunicableDiseases Division of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Apart from the vi- rus, Koch and his teamof staff have initially had two other adversaries to contend with. Firstly, some Swiss were slow to appreciate the gravity of the situation. Secondly, certain border cantons broke ranks to take much more drastic measures than those sanctioned by the Federal Council. Familiar faces from the sporting, cultural, showbiz, po- litical and economic spheres have taken a back step. In their place, ‘Mr Coronavirus’ Daniel Kochhas been cutting to the chase on our television screens in his calm, considered manner – his sudden celebrity another indication of how our world has turned upside down since the beginning of the outbreak. Coronavirus timeline January 2020: Skiers Beat Feuz and Daniel Yule send the nation into raptures with their respective victories in the legendary Wengen downhill and the slalom at Adelboden. The flagship event for the Swiss film industry, the Solothurn FilmFestival, takes place. US president Trump talks up the successes of the US economy so much at theWEF in Davos that some delegates leave the auditorium. There are reports of a viral outbreak in faraway China. Memes about Corona beer follow on social media. 24 February: COVID-19 is becoming a real worry in Italy. Swiss HealthMinister Alain Berset consequently puts Swit- zerland in a ‘state of readiness’. 25 February: The virus has reached Switzerland. A 70-year-oldman tests positive in the canton of Ticino. This marks the beginning of a raftof official directives andmeas- ures to combat the virus. The number of coronavirus cases and deaths begins to rise inexorably. This has all the hall- marks of an epidemic. 26 February: Ticino takes matters into its own hands and bans all public events – carnival parades included. The can- ton’s two premier ice hockey teams have to play their next two home fixtures behind closed doors. 27 February: Social distancing sets in. The Federal Office of Public Health launches the Protect yourself and others campaign, providing the public with continually updated information. Here are some of its recommendations: Wash your hands thoroughly. Sneeze into the crook of your arm. Stay at home if you display flu-like symptoms. Keep your distance. Always call ahead before going to the doctor’s or the emergency department. Eventually, the overriding in- struction will be ‘Stay at home’. On the same day, organisers of the Engadine Ski Mara- thon cancel this year’s event scheduled to take place on 8March. Almost 15,000 athletes were due to take part. The Swiss sporting world starts to shut down. 28 February: At its first major Friday press conference on thematter, the Federal Council categorises the situation in Switzerland as ‘special’ in terms of the Epidemics Act (Ep- idA). Events withmore than 1,000 people are now banned. The EpidA allows the Federal Council to drawup emergency plans. The Confederation also unveils a bailout scheme for businesses, whereby companies can request compensation for reducing their employees’ working hours. Switzerland’s professional football and ice hockey leagues are put on hold. Some of the most sacred events in the Swiss cultural calendar are either postponed or can- celled altogether. These include the annual carnival festiv- ities in Basel, Berne, Lucerne and other cities, the Geneva International Motor Show, the Baselworld watch and jew- ellery show, and countless other events. 5 March: The first fatality. A 74-year-old woman in Laus- anne dies of the COVID-19 respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Beginning of March: Not everyone has got the message. Young people in numerous towns and cities continue to The virus that paralysed Switzerland We were all looking forward to spring. Then COVID-19 arrived. Switzerland’s cities turned into ghost towns. Schools were closed. The streets fell quiet. Parks were declared off limits. This is the story of the first month of the outbreak.