The entire Federal Council did not decide on any new measures on Friday, as the state government communicated after a special meeting at noon. Specifically, the message says: “The Federal Council will only take further measures if they are unavoidable.” On Wednesday, Health Minister Alain Berset announced on Twitter that further measures would be ready. The next ordinary meeting is scheduled for January 12th.
The members had dialed into a joint conference call on Friday at 1 p.m. from their vacation. In a media release that was subsequently sent, they described the current situation as “worrying”. But it is still too early to assess the measures that have been in place since December 17th. In addition, those responsible still seem to disagree about how dangerous Omicron is. You write that there is currently some evidence that “an infection with the Omicron variant is usually milder.” For this reason, fewer hospitalized people can be expected than during the delta wave.
In the past few days, the committee has been heavily criticized for sticking to the decision not to introduce any additional measures despite the rapidly expanding Omikron variant. Many fear a collapse of the critical infrastructure in this country due to too many sick people. Others, however, criticize the authorities for not being able to state exactly how severe the course would be after an infection with Omikron. There are no reliable figures on how many of the patients in the intensive care unit have become infected with the Omikron variant. In conclusion, however, the statement from the Federal Council on Friday states: “If the situation in the hospitals deteriorates significantly or new information arrives, the Federal Council can act very quickly.”