Despite the high number of infections, the Federal Council has decided not to tighten the current measures. Instead, he extends it until the end of February or the end of March. In an interview, Health Minister Alain Berset is optimistic about the future and promises faster relaxation.
SRF News: We have a record number of cases today, but there is no increase in the hospitals. Can we already say that the omicron wave is not as bad as prophesied?
Alain Berset: Above all, we can say that this wave is a new situation. It’s a different wave than the waves we’ve seen before. It’s true, the situation in the hospitals is quieter than we thought at the moment. That’s a good thing, that’s for sure.
The extension of the measures serves the purpose of planning.
One can say that the omicron variant causes significantly less illness. Is it then justifiable to restrict the freedom of so many people until the end of March? Exclude you from social life with 2G?
We just decided today to extend measures. That means home office duty and quarantine regulation until the end of February as well as other measures until the end of March. This is for planning purposes. At the same time, we also said that we will carry out an in-depth analysis in two weeks – when we are over the hill. It is also quite possible that we will loosen up more quickly. But we will only be able to analyze that if the situation improves. At the moment it remains quite unstable with so many contagions.
It would have been a signal to extend 2G – this major intervention, especially for the unvaccinated – for a shorter period of time.
Going back to 3G at a moment when we just don’t have enough testing and this wave is so high – with almost 40,000 infections a day – that would have been dishonest too. In other words, we have just decided that we will continue with these measures that have helped us so far in winter. We hope that it will be possible to relax more quickly. But we don’t know yet.
We hope that it will be possible to relax more quickly.
Let’s talk about the quarantine. Numerous cantons and business associations say that the quarantine should now be completely gone. Why does the Federal Council want to keep it for another five weeks instead?
Once again: It is an extension until the end of February. But we will soon see whether we still need the quarantine. Getting rid of them entirely, right in the middle of what is by far the biggest wave, would have been a strange signal. This quarantine helps. And it is limited: only five more days, only for people living under the same roof. That means: for people who are at high risk of becoming infected. This helps to dampen the circulation of the virus and is beneficial for the economy, for companies, so that the virus is not simply brought in.
Abolishing the quarantine entirely, right in the middle of what was by far the biggest wave, would also have been a strange signal.
If it is possible, we will relax that as well. At the end of February that would be a huge development in the pandemic. For the first time in two years, we would end this quarantine at the end of February.
But when so many people get infected, the quarantine is of little use. That’s what the otherwise very cautious task force says.
If the number of cases increases, stop all measures – that doesn’t work. That is absurd. They’re going up, but they’re probably going up less and are still under control because we have certain measures in place. But if the hospital systems remain in this good situation – we will see that in the coming weeks – then there will be room for relaxation. And we’re going to watch that happen.
If the hospital systems remain in this good situation, then there is room for relaxation.
Last week you compared Omikron to a cold in vaccinated people. Many took this as a signal that can now be relaxed quickly.
We always have to say what we see. I’m not an epidemiologist, at most I’ve become something of a hobby epidemiologist in the last two years. But you have to see that if the truth is that for people who are vaccinated or boosted, in the vast majority of cases the symptoms are very mild, then we have to say so. I said no more and no less. That is also recognized. Then interpreting that as if it were the end of the pandemic, or as if Corona were a flu, is wrong. That’s a cut that just doesn’t apply.
The conversation was led by Dominik Meier.
More on the subject in the “Rundschau” on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. on SRF 1.