Published
Switzerland received a lot of criticism for the pictures of the celebrating ski fans in Adelboden. Nevertheless, nobody in politics believes in stricter measures. “The infection can no longer be stopped,” says Martin Bäumle.
- from
- Daniel Graf
- Ann Guenter
- Claudia Blumer
In view of the high incidences, calls for stricter measures were raised on Twitter. The Federal Council will decide on Wednesday.
20min / Simon Glauser
In politics, however, nobody believes that in view of the still stable situation in the intensive care units, stricter measures will be taken.
20min / Marvin Ancian
Almost 13,000 spectators celebrated Marco Odermatt’s victory in Adelboden on Saturday – although the number of cases in Switzerland has already reached record highs.
For many foreign viewers, this causes disbelief and criticism.
The Federal Council could adopt stricter measures on Wednesday. But nobody in politics believes in that, even the left-green does not consider it necessary.
“It is too late for effective measures, the infection can no longer be stopped,” says GLP National Councilor Martin Bäumle with conviction.
The pictures of 13,000 people from Adelboden crowded together and partying caused a stir at the weekend: “The Swiss take a slightly different route and try to infect everyone on one weekend,” said Austrian skier Manuel Feller, not being taken seriously. The ORF commentator felt the same way: “It’s an unusual picture, ladies and gentlemen. We hope that everything will go well! “
As a result, the hashtags #DummWieDieSchweiz and #Durchseschung trended on Twitter. Many Austrians were stunned. Swiss users demanded that the Federal Council should finally admit the contamination as a strategy. Jürg Utzinger, director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, also says that the contamination is already taking place at high speed – but stricter measures are not necessary (see below).
“There is no need for tightening”
The first Federal Council meeting after the holidays is due on Wednesday. Alain Berset announced last week on Twitter that a package of measures including closings was ready. In politics, however, nobody believes that stricter measures will actually come on Wednesday.
For Albert Rösti, President of the National Council Health Commission, the outcry surrounding Adelboden is incomprehensible: “That has now received more attention because, fortunately, Odermatt has won. A large number of spectators have been allowed to play football and ice hockey for months, and nobody cares. ” Rösti believes that it is completely wrong to demand even stricter measures: “On the contrary, we need shortening of the quarantine and isolation periods. The key are the numbers in the intensive care units and they tend to decrease despite the high number of cases. “
Middle National Councilor Ruth Humbel also says: “Stricter measures are currently not necessary, especially since hospitalizations are stable at a high level. The most important thing is that people stick to the existing measures, that’s what matters. “
Even left green against measures
Even the Greens and the SP are against tougher measures: “That is currently not indicated,” says Green National Councilor Katharina Prelicz-Huber. At the moment, however, she is resisting shorter quarantine and isolation: “The scientific data on severe courses at Omikron are simply too thin for that. To bet on contamination now and thus to sacrifice the risk groups is simply insanely dangerous. ”
SP National Councilor Yvonne Feri says: “Nobody wants closings. The Federal Council allows a certain amount of contamination, but that is not part of its strategy. ” For Feri, it is important that the Federal Council also include acute cases in the hospitals in its considerations in addition to the IPS utilization. “As long as the hospital can continue to operate in spite of the high number of infections, tightening is not advisable.”
“Too late for effective measures”
GLP National Councilor Martin Bäumle is disappointed with the federal council’s corona strategy. “We are still pursuing a high-risk strategy with the moderate mix of measures.” But now it is too late to react in a targeted manner and effective closings are neither appropriate nor enforceable. «We are in fact in a pandemic of the unvaccinated. The vaccinated would hardly take part in widespread closings. The contamination can no longer be stopped that way, ”says Bäumle.
What the Federal Council is doing is Russian roulette with two balls in the revolver: “It can go well if the virus can no longer find hosts and the wave flattens out before the hospitals reach their limits again. But I wouldn’t bet on it. ” Nevertheless, there is also reason for hope in his calculation model: “It is possible that the number of cases will have peaked in two to three weeks and the wave will flatten out. In addition, it can be said with some certainty that vaccinated and boosted Omikron will survive well. “
For Jürg Utzinger, epidemiologist and director of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, the implementation of the ski races in Adelboden in this form with images that were broadcast around the world was a mistake: “If we add the number of unreported cases, we have currently between 50,000 and 100,000 new infections daily. Despite the protection concept, there are sure to be infected people with 13,000 spectators with return journeys, food on site and accommodation. And because of the high infection rate of Omikron, they will definitely infect more people. ” According to Utzinger, the pictures from Adelboden are like a slap in the face, especially for health workers: “You have been working at the limit for months. In the Tagesschau on Saturday evening, the first contribution was dedicated to Odermatt’s giant slalom victory in Adelboden, the second to the lack of staff in the hospitals. ” To accuse the Federal Council of a contamination strategy, Utzinger goes too far. “But with such a high number of cases and such major events, it is clear that the disease is being searched at a relatively high rate. In addition, this is likely to meet with little understanding among the population, especially since drastic rules still apply in other areas, such as in schools and at work. “
As a member, you become part of the 20-minute community and benefit from great benefits and exclusive competitions every day!