Starting tomorrow, Thursday, the home office requirement and the contact quarantine will be lifted. The home office obligation will be changed to a recommendation. In addition, the Federal Council is sending two opening options to the cantons for consultation. In the first variant, practically all measures would be eliminated from February 17th.
How useful are these loosening steps? In view of the high number of cases, don’t they come too early? No, says Federal President Ignazio Cassis. Now is the right time for it.
SRF News: Mr. Federal President, there is talk of a happy day. What are you most looking forward to?
Iganzio Cassis: Today is a good day. It’s a day when we see light on the horizon. I look forward to this optimism that has arisen as a result of the development of the pandemic and which will allow the Federal Council to lift these restrictions on freedom soon.
Why not at least wait until the high number of cases goes in a different direction again?
The development is going in the desired direction. In the direction that the Federal Council had imagined at the beginning of the year. Ergo, now comes the next concrete steps. We don’t want to keep the population waiting and act uncertainly.
We know enough to be able to take these easing steps.
Many warning voices have been heard in the last few days. By scientists, by cantonal governments, by cantonal doctors. As a former canton doctor, are you comfortable with the whole matter?
Absolutely. The assessment of the situation in the Bundesrat was very detailed. We are absolutely calm in these decisions. We are now holding out the prospect of these decisions, including to the cantonal doctors, and are curious to see their reactions.
Do they not feel addressed when doctors explain that the easing steps are taking place too quickly?
Doctors are not a homogeneous entity like scientists and politicians. Everyone has their opinion.
Many things about the virus are still unknown. If there is now a broad relaxation, isn’t there a risk that the number of cases will increase and that the health system will also be burdened?
Of course, we don’t know everything about this disease. We will learn that over the years. But we know enough to be able to take these steps.
We can do without many things, but not without vaccination.
Relatively little is known about the long-term consequences, such as Long Covid. That’s a risk.
Today, more than 90 percent of the population over the age of 20 is immunized. However, when the virus circulates, clinically serious diseases do not develop. The Federal Council has always had the goal of avoiding serious illnesses and having sufficient hospital capacities.
What can go wrong now?
For example, that a new, much more difficult variant of this virus would appear and put us in a difficult position again. But we have also prepared for that. That is why the message is still clear: we can do without many things, but not without vaccination.
Gion-Duri Vincenz conducted the interview.