Now things are moving fast: The Federal Council is lifting quarantine and the home office obligation with immediate effect. From February 17th, a certificate will no longer be required for restaurants, cinemas and theatres. However, the government is careful not to announce the end of the pandemic.
No prayers, but a clear direction – Federal Councilor Alain Berset wants to go back to normality.
“Today is a beautiful day.” Ignazio Cassis didn’t want to miss out on this and wanted to deliver the good news himself. On Wednesday, the Federal President seconded Health Minister Alain Berset to his usual walk in front of the media. However, this media conference differs greatly from the countless ones before it – predicate: historic.
The government does not announce the end of the pandemic. But the end of the measures. No Freedom Day with fanfare, but the Swiss version of it: Regaining a “good piece of freedom”, as Cassis calls it. You could also say quite simply: Switzerland is returning to normality, the crisis is over.
In terms of health policy, the path announced by the Federal Council means the transition from state care for public health to individual responsibility. Those who are ill stay at home and take care of themselves. Those who are seriously ill go to a doctor.
Sounds easy, actually it is. The Federal President is trying to bring back into play the personal responsibility that has been so much scolded during the pandemic. According to Cassis, freedom always goes hand in hand with responsibility. “We now have to learn to live with a virus more.”
Quarantine as a measure from the very beginning has had its day
The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) laid out the carpet for extensive loosening in the past few days. Despite the record number of cases, it no longer expects the intensive care units (ICUs) to be overloaded in the current omicron wave. The proportion of patients on the ICU with the omicron variant is marginal. This eliminates the legitimacy for rigorous interventions. The assessment was completely different in mid-December 2021, when the Federal Council last decided to tighten the rules.
Now it will be relaxed quickly. The Federal Council is lifting two far-reaching restrictions with immediate effect: the obligation to work from home and quarantine. Working from home remains an effective measure. But from now on, employers largely decide for themselves how to protect their employees. However, the mask requirement in the workplace still applies.
The end of the contact quarantine marks the transition to a new phase. The officially ordered house arrest has been in effect since the beginning of the crisis, but has become less important due to the high number of infections. All quarantines still in force will be lifted on Thursday, February 3rd. On the other hand, people who have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 must continue to be isolated.
On February 17, the certificate falls – at least to a large extent
The second big step towards more freedom will take place on February 17th. The Federal Council is proposing two variants to the cantons. If it becomes apparent that the omicron wave has peaked and hospitalizations are decreasing, the government intends to lift all measures at once in mid-February. This means: no more certificates, no restrictions on private meetings, no mask requirement on public transport, in shops and other publicly accessible buildings.
Berset admits that such a full opening comes with risks. The number of cases is likely to rise again. Particular attention is paid to the protection of people who are particularly at risk. It will be up to the cantons to keep the virus circulation low in retirement and nursing homes and hospitals. In addition, the Federal Council wants to know from the cantons whether the mask requirement in public transport and in retail should remain for the time being.
If the number of cases increases in mid-February, the Federal Council wants to be more cautious and relax in two steps. First of all, on February 17, the certificate is to be issued wherever the 2-G rule applies today: in restaurants, theaters and cinemas. Seating would be compulsory again in restaurants. For clubs, indoor swimming pools and intensive sports, where the 2G plus rule applies today, it would be relaxed to 2G. The cantons could reintroduce the permit requirement for major outdoor events, which the federal government is lifting, on their territory. This also applies to carnival celebrations that are planned in several cantons in the coming weeks.
In a second step, the Federal Council would lift the remaining measures. These are the 2G rule, the obligation to wear masks and the approval of major indoor events.
In addition, the Federal Council also wants to abolish the protective measures upon entry. The obligation to test for non-vaccinated people and the collection of contact details would no longer be necessary.
The fact that Berset had already announced the easing last week was not well received in all departments. With his advance he put the government under pressure. According to reports, however, this was not an issue at the Federal Council meeting on Wednesday. Federal President Cassis only asked the college to avoid indiscretions.
Special case Switzerland?
While the variants of the exit are still open, one thing is already certain for the Federal Council: From its point of view, it has done pretty much everything right in the last two years. Health Minister Berset in particular leaves no doubt about “his” corona policy. The power-conscious Freiburg resident knows only too well that the endemic phase will soon be here, at least in the public debate. Then when the historians will push the virologists out of the discourse.
The strategy was “clear” from the start, according to Berset. “Rationality” and “reality” are the two leitmotifs of the government. Berset emphasizes the common sense model, citing letters he recently received from citizens. The one who has not been satisfied with the pandemic policy so far and is now happy about the rapid opening. The other just the opposite. Full trust in the government, and now, when leaving, the big doubts about the high speed. Berset insists on the narrative of the courageous middle way. In the processing of the global Corona crisis, there should one day be a place for the special case of Switzerland.
Berset also wants to ease the tensions that have been building up between the Federal Council and science for some time. He praised the tireless efforts and availability of the members of the Covid-19 task force. The debates were not always easy, but valuable. It will be checked whether and in what form the mandate will be extended.
Just a few weeks ago, the Minister of Health fought a long-distance duel with the President of the Task Force. Finance Minister Ueli Maurer recently said what Berset had suggested at the time: “The experts – whose opinions I hardly take note of anymore – do not seem to me to live in the real world.” The hysterical task force and the sober Federal Council? There is still a lot that needs to be clarified in federal Bern.
Impossible country comparison
It also remains unclear how the individual measures will be assessed in the near future and by third parties. To date, the Federal Council has not been able to say with the necessary evidence whether the obligation to obtain a certificate was proportionate to its benefits. The government assumes that the pressure on hospitals was cushioned during the delta wave by largely excluding the unvaccinated from public life.
In order to actually be able to assess the effectiveness, one would have to make a country comparison with the same Switzerland, said Cassis. The epidemiological development in Switzerland with and one without a certificate. An interesting mind game by the Federal President. But after two years, at least on this point, everyone agrees: A single Switzerland may be enough, a pandemic will definitely be enough.