Swiss Review 6/2020

Swiss Review / November 2020 / No.6 10 Society SUSANNE WENGER When the number of coronavirus in- fections suddenly increased through- out Switzerland at the start of October, Basel epidemiologist Marcel Tanner said the main reason for this was that Switzerland had not been as restric- tive in combating the pandemic as its neighbouring countries: “Now more than ever, every person in society must realise that they share a respon- sibility for what lies ahead,” he said. The liberal Swiss approach would not work if people failed to observe social distancing and hygiene rules. The sit- uation actually looked good for a while. As businesses cautiously opened their doors again following the lockdown and infections didn’t rise, the Federal Council was quick to announce further easing measures. The feeling of relief was palpable. “We can handle the coronavirus,” the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs, Alain Berset, said proudly in May. The President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Som- maruga, coined the phrase “new nor- mality”. The virus had not gone away. However, subject to certain condi- tions, the old freedoms could be brought back, and industries that suf- feredduring the lockdown could start up again. Back to restaurants, night- clubs and shops. Back to school and the office. Back to mobility and demonstrations. Subject to precau- tionary measures as well as the man- datory collection of contact details in some cases. This was the “new nor- mality”. Parliament resumed its ses- sions, and the Confederation handed control back to the cantons in mid- June. The extraordinary situation, which conferred special powers to the federal government under the Epi- demics Act, was declared over. Easy summer Targeted responses to local coronavi- rus outbreaks make more sense than blanket measures. That, at least, was the thinking. Switzerland followed a strategy of containment and testing. The cantons developed a track-and- trace systemto break infection chains quickly, notifying people who had been in contact with anyone who tested positive for the virus. Cantonal health authorities would order these people to self-isolate, if necessary. Thousands have since been quaran- tined, including revellers, sportspeo- ple, churchgoers and a federal coun- cillor. After infections started to rise again in June, the government briefly intervened once more – making face coverings compulsory on public trans- port around the country from July, and telling people returning from high-risk areas to go into quarantine. Many Swiss opted to spend their summer holidays in Switzerland. The moodwasmore relaxed than in spring, even without the usual open-air festi- vals and 1 August celebrations. Demon- strations against the remaining re- strictions failed to attract the masses. When the infection rate increased again between July and September, there was no sense of alarm. The fig- ures were still lower than in March and April. There were fewer hospitali- sations, and fatalities were signifi- cantly down. Nevertheless, scientists issued warnings. Switzerland needed to act now to prevent the situation fromdeteriorating, saidGeneva-based virologist Isabella Eckerle. Some can- tons introduced strictermeasures, but the government continued to relax re- strictions, following through on its plan to lift the ban on big events, for example. Autumn angst FromOctober, football and ice hockey matches could take place in front of more than 1,000 fans again. People were also allowed to attend concerts, albeit subject to strict protective measures aswell as cantonal approval. At the end of February, Switzerland became the first country in Europe to ban major events with more than 1,000 people. It also became the first country to lift this restriction. “We have to learn to live with the virus,” said Alain Berset. Sports associations and cultural institutions welcomed the move. The majority of cantons would have preferred towait until the end of the year. All in all, it was a bal- ancing act. It was also at the beginning of October that cases began to soar. Un- der 20 people a day had been testing positive at the start of June, whereas the figure stood at over 7,000 by the end of October – a new record. The positive test rate passed the thresh- Corona cases soar as winter approaches Following the shutdown in spring, Switzerland significantly eased its virus-related restrictions. But in spite of protective measures, the number of infections rose sharply again in autumn. Switzerland is now in the grip of the pandemic’s second wave.