SVP parliamentary group leader Thomas Aeschi (42) returned on Friday from a road trip through Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Aeschi has traveled to 13 countries by car – and he is thrilled with what he has seen. He was apparently particularly impressed by how the countries deal with Corona. He saw almost no masks, and there were almost no corona sufferers in the intensive care units. The risk of overloading the health system is practically excluded, Aeschi sums up in the “Sunday newspaper”. Therefore, a mask and certificate requirement is no longer justified in Switzerland.
Aeschi calls for Switzerland to return to normal. Among other things, he was also in Poland, Serbia and Albania. They obviously impressed him. The Zuger is now a fan of the Balkan countries, praising their handling of Corona as a role model for Switzerland. “In all of these countries we have practically returned to normal,” says Aeschi. Not once did he have to show his Covid certificate. The border official only asked for his yellow vaccination booklet when entering Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Masks are also rarely seen in Eastern Europe and the Balkan countries. Exceptions are Croatia and Slovenia. Otherwise people would hardly have worn masks even in restaurants and hotels. This is despite the fact that in Albania, for example, it is still compulsory to wear a mask. They are not considered any further.
Pressure on the unvaccinated
Samira Hurst, Vice President of the Federal Task Force, warned this week of a possibly more violent wave than in autumn 2020 that could affect Switzerland again. The corona reference values are currently in the green area with 25 patients in intensive care units and a total of 132 hospitalizations for corona sufferers.
Meanwhile, the pressure on unvaccinated people is growing. According to the newspaper, GLP President Jürg Grossen (51) demands that unvaccinated nursing staff identify themselves with a sticker. Others, such as Christoph Berger, President of the Vaccination Commission, now also require a certificate at work and in restaurants. FDP National Councilor Kurt Fluri (65) even wants those unwilling to vaccinate to have to pay for the hospital costs themselves if they have corona.
Fluri also received sharp criticism from his own party ranks for his proposal. Andrea Gmür (57), Lucerne State Councilor and parliamentary group leader in the center, supports an expanded certificate requirement. She, too, “doesn’t want to have to sit in a concert wearing a mask just because people don’t get vaccinated”. But she too cannot win anything from the radical Fluri proposal – which is particularly appalling for SVP National Councilor Albert Rösti (53). Rösti condemns the demand for a labeling requirement as “branding methods that remind me of the darkest epochs in history”. (kes)