Swiss Review 2/2021

Swiss Review / April 2021 / No.2 19 Swiss Review: Hello Mr Schneider. The pandemic began almost one year ago. How are you doing? Peter Schneider: Not too bad, but that is mostly down to luck. I no longer do face-to-face appointments and have been giving my lectures online – which is better than it sounds, as it savesme fromhaving to travel around. Essentially, I am just as busy as before, and I can still choose when and what to write. The restrictions have not af- fectedme that much, given that I tend to stay at home anyway. And how is Switzerland doing? Which Switzerland do you mean? My fortunate circumstances are different from the experiences of people who are on short-timeworking hours, have lost their jobs or are fearing for their livelihoods. Their situations are of course a far cry from mine. I don’t want to imply that the country is split between the fortunate and less fortu- nate, but we cannot think that every- one is the same. We need to look at why some people are having a particu- larly hard time and who those people are. After bringing the first wave of the pan- demic under control, Switzerland became a European Covid hotspot during the second wave – to many people’s surprise. Yours too? Yes, I was surprised. The first wave and lockdown had somewhat of a scouts- and-guides feel to it, didn’t it?We saw people clapping for carers and playing music on their balconies on the evening news. There was something adventuresome about it, at least here in Switzerland. We watched the Fed- eral Council press conferences and felt in good hands. The public appreciated this calm, considered approach to dealing with the pandemic – but then things unravelled. How? So many things went wrong. It turns out we made some serious mistakes during the first wave. The authorities questioned the effectiveness of protec- tive masks – an expedient line to take because therewere not enoughmasks available in the first place. From sum- mer onwards, you could sense that the opinions of a self-serving lobby were beginning to drown out scientific logic. There was not enough testing. Track and trace was inconsistent. Pol- iticians were at loggerheads. It is not only the myriad restrictions that peo- ple currently resent, but also the lack of clarity. They feel disoriented. I think a great deal of public confidence has been lost. Ostensibly, Switzerland is well placed to fight any pandemic – with its world-class healthcare system, its stable system of government, and its widespread prosperity. Yes, and during the first lockdown I still believed in our own invincibility. I thought Switzerlandwould come out smelling of roses once again – unfair, I know, but reassuring nonetheless. I was at a loss for words for what hap- pened thereafter. I often defend my country when people start criticising, because some of the arguments are quite facile. They moan but have little idea of how the political cogs turn. But I cannot disagreewith themthis time. Why was the Swiss response so inept at times? I really don’t know. We certainly saw the worst aspects of federalism come to the fore, but we cannot blame fed- eralism for everything. Most politi- cians spoke of the importance of indi- vidual responsibility, even though it made no sense. It is for governments to fight pandemics. If I drive from Zu- rich to Berne, it is not my job to build the roads that take me there. The Federal Council tried to strike its own middle course. Is that not a legitimate way of going about things? There aremany Swiss approaches that I like, even if some of the political out- comes leave something to be desired. At least our system establishes broad support for the decisions that are made. Even in a pandemic, it is not all about restrictions. There are political intricacies to take into account. But to think that a virus will bemore amena- ble to us because we are Swiss? As much as it pains me to say it, you can- not negotiate with a virus. Do you think economic interests were prioritised ahead of people’s lives, as critics are suggesting? Does the pandemic show that society has its priorities wrong? It is a mystery to me why we have to pit the economy against human lives “The first lockdown had somewhat of a scouts-and-guides feel to it, didn’t it?”