There is another carnival in Basel this year – for the first time in two years. This is symbolic, because in March 2020 the Basel carnival was the first major event to be canceled due to the pandemic. But now the signs point to relaxation. Nothing stands in the way of a carnival, albeit in a slimmed-down form, says Health Director Lukas Engelberger. But there are some worries.
SRF News: You delayed the decision a bit. Now the Basel carnival can actually take place again. For what reason?
Lukas Engelberger: Today we can assess the development of the pandemic situation more optimistically than just a few weeks ago. The infection numbers are still high, but declining. We have seen healthcare withstand the strain of the omicron wave. In this respect, we are in a dynamic of easing in Switzerland today and see a perspective for the carnival in this environment.
We don’t want to organize the big folk festival for the whole region.
The Basel carnival is usually an event with hundreds of thousands of spectators. Can it take place in this context?
We can make a carnival possible this year, but we cannot make a carnival possible like the ones that took place in the years before the pandemic. We therefore rely on a carnival for the active. But we don’t want to organize the big folk festival for the whole region.
They provide restrictions. Restaurants, for example, have to close at 1 a.m. Can such a mood come up at all?
There will be a special carnival atmosphere this year in Basel. At best, it will be a somewhat contemplative carnival, which would also suit our time with the corona pandemic.
Can the decision to allow the carnival to take place be shifted in one direction or the other if the situation in Switzerland should get worse or better?
We have tried to make an announcement for the carnival that you can understand, even without details, such as the obligation to have a certificate. In our opinion, these rules are now clear and a great deal of change would have to happen for something essential to be changed.
They want to offer the carnival people an opportunity to live out their customs again, but don’t want to have so many visitors with them. What do you want to do so that people don’t come to Basel anyway when something is taking place here?
We don’t advertise the carnival, we don’t organize any additional public transport. And we leave it at the normal opening times for the catering establishments, so we don’t make any exceptions. And for the rest, we must also count on the common sense and insight of the population. After two years and the pandemic, personal responsibility is once again becoming more important.
As a Basel native, I am happy that carnival is possible again, but the health director also has concerns.
You are also President of the Conference of Health Directors. Are you also worried that Basel could become a hotspot?
We already had a small test in Basel two weeks ago with the «Vogel Gryff», in which a little more was possible than in the weeks before and in which we didn’t see any negative consequences. But yes, of course, as a Basel native I am happy that carnival is possible again, but the health director also has concerns.
The interview was conducted by Philipp Schrämmli.