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The pandemic is not over yet, but the FOPH wanted to know how Switzerland managed the crisis. “Largely appropriate and timely,” is the conclusion of the experts. In politics, however, the report raises questions.
A panel of Swiss and foreign experts analyzed how the federal government and the cantons were handling the crisis and gave the authorities a positive rating overall. Nevertheless, individual measures were assessed critically.
For example, the school closures were not appropriate and the strict protective measures in old people’s homes had led to great suffering.
Flavia Wasserfallen, SP health politician and member of the National Council’s Health Commission, defends the actions of the authorities on this point and says: “I think that if you put yourself back in the situation at the time and realized that the uncertainty was great and also the information was incomplete that these measures were justified at the time.”
If you think back to the situation at the time, the measures were justified.
She is more critical of the distribution of powers between the federal government and the cantons. There were difficulties in this regard, especially at the beginning of the second corona wave from June 2020. This is also determined by the expert report.
Wasserfallen would like to see more powers for the federal government and legal adjustments in this area.
Legend:
SP National Councilor Flavia Wasserfallen wants the federal government to have more powers for future crises.
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Ruth Humbel, health politician in the center, would also like a clear division of competences. Despite the positive expert opinion, she sees a need for action in many areas. She asks who will do what in the future and also calls for the epidemic law and the pandemic plan to be adjusted. In addition, it must be clearly defined which responsibility belongs to which state level.
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Central National Councilor Ruth Humbel wants to prevent Switzerland from slipping into the next crisis unprepared.
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Humbel demands that the report be followed by action. Otherwise there is a risk that more deficits will be identified but not remedied. She is thinking, for example, of the Pandemic Commission.
It did exist, but it played no role in overcoming the pandemic. Another point would be the long-awaited digitalization in the healthcare system. A strategy that had been in place for a long time was not implemented, as Humbel says.
We already had a strategy for that, but it wasn’t implemented.
Ultimately, it is also important to draw the right conclusions for the next pandemic or the next wave of infections in autumn. Humbel thinks that you have to be prepared and think in scenarios. Otherwise, despite a positive evaluation report, you run the risk of slipping unprepared into the next crisis.
What’s next?
The panel of experts has numerous recommendations submitted to the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG), the Confederation and the cantons. The BAG is generally recommended to better prepare itself organizationally for the next crisis. The necessary resources should be secured and crisis management should be practiced regularly.