Switzerland has one of the highest corona numbers in Europe, hospitals are sounding the alarm. Nevertheless, the government only decided to tighten the measures on Friday – but not a lockdown.
In view of the further increase in the number of corona infections, Switzerland is tightening protective measures again. From next Tuesday restaurants, cinemas, museums and sports clubs will have to close, but shops and the ski areas are allowed to remain open despite criticism from abroad. The government decided on Friday.
“The epidemiological situation is worrying,” said a statement by the Federal Council on Friday. Looking at the current figures, Health Minister Alain Berset said: “We are way too high.”
The number of infections in Switzerland – in relation to the number of inhabitants – is among the highest in Europe. Nevertheless, the federal government and cantons have so far been cautious. Just last week, public events were banned and a curfew for restaurants was introduced at 7 p.m. – but there were exceptions.
Medics called for a quick lockdown
A scientific advisory board had urgently advised the government to take even stricter measures. Martin Ackermann, President of the Covid-19 Science Task Force, also advised closing most stores and strictly enforcing home work. “Every day counts, the faster the better,” Ackermann said on Tuesday.
Doctors and scientists have been sounding the alarm for weeks that the measures are too lax. The hospitals say they are working at full capacity. The director of the University Hospital Zurich (USZ), Gregor Zünd, said on Tuesday: “We cannot imagine that we can avoid a lockdown.” At the time, the R value in the canton of Zurich was 1.16. “How long should these warnings go on before something happens ???”, Isabella Eckerle, German virologist at Geneva University Hospital, tweeted this week.
Skiing fun on the slopes of the Titlis: Despite the ever increasing corona numbers, the ski areas remain open for the time being. (Source: Urs Flueeler / dpa)
Open ski slopes despite full hospitals
Together with the directors of two other hospitals in Zurich, Zünd spoke out against permission to ski over Christmas. “The risk of infection when skiing during the Christmas holidays is high,” said Zünd. It increases the risk of a third corona wave in January. The hospitals in Zurich usually accept skiers who have had an accident in winter. The directors said that this was hardly possible for capacity reasons.
Despite everything, the ski areas will remain open for the time being. President Simonetta Sommaruga merely said that if the situation does not improve, there will be even stricter rules in the coming year. Then the cantons could also close the ski areas. The canton of Valais, in which Zermatt and Saas Fee are located, has already issued a permit for the operation of almost all lifts and mountain railways.
The Federal Office of Public Health reported almost 4,500 new infections and 120 new deaths on Friday. Since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 4,673 corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Switzerland and Liechtenstein – the numbers are recorded together. For comparison: According to the Robert Koch Institute, the value in Germany is 1,731.
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