The number of corona cases in Switzerland is increasing and increasing. On Wednesday, the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) reported over 17,600 new cases within 24 hours – a new record. This is due to the new virus variant Omikron. Because it is highly contagious. There is therefore a risk of the infrastructure collapsing.
While companies are preparing for this scenario, it has already occurred at the Medical Center in Crans-Montana VS. Around half of the medical staff is already missing, as the SRF news magazine “10vor10” reports.
The employees are either in isolation or in quarantine. This means that medical care cannot be maintained, says doctor Patrick Regamey, who also works there. “If we cannot treat the patients here, they come to the hospital – there will be an overload.” He therefore demands: People infected with corona should still be able to work, provided they have no symptoms.
It would not be the first time. Last year, for example, nurses who tested positive had to work in many homes as long as they had no symptoms. The BAG had allowed this procedure in the event of an acute shortage of staff.
Staff losses of up to ten percent are manageable
If that is not possible, according to Regamey, at least the duration of isolation should be shortened. The director of the Swiss Employers’ Association, Roland A. Müller, also demands that a shortening should be seriously examined – for example to five or seven days. A special permit would also make sense for companies that have to meet security of supply, as he says to SRF.
Certain activities could then continue to be possible with special protective measures. The reason for the demand: According to Müller, companies could cope with staff losses of up to 10 percent, after which it would be difficult.
With the corona experts of the task force, however, it sounded very different at the press conference on Tuesday. President Tanja Stadler even spoke out in favor of quarantine for vaccinated people.
Spain, UK and USA
While discussions are still going on in Switzerland, other countries are already nailing their heads: Spain, for example, is shortening the prescribed period of isolation after a corona infection without symptoms from ten to seven days. That was decided on Wednesday at a meeting of health experts from the central and regional governments, as the Ministry of Health announced in Madrid. This shortening also applies to non-vaccinated people with an unconfirmed suspicion of corona infection, for example to the contact persons of an infected person, it said. Vaccinated people who have had contact with an infected person do not have to isolate themselves in Spain.
It was only on Monday that the USA shortened the recommended isolation period after a corona infection from ten to five days. Great Britain had already introduced a shortening from ten to seven days, but is not making any further reductions for the time being. The topic is currently also being discussed in Italy and Germany. (bra)