After two years of the pandemic, there is great joy. Switzerland has its freedom again. Almost all measures have been lifted. As of Thursday, the obligation to obtain a certificate will be history. The mask requirement is also largely eliminated. “The acute phase of the pandemic is over,” said Health Minister Alain Berset (49) on Wednesday.
While we can go to the store without a mask, things are different in Germany. The government put loosening in sight – but only in four weeks – and only gradually. “We must not be careless,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday. This is exactly why the planned vaccination requirement is not yet off the table.
Cheers in Switzerland, frustration in Germany. “Are the Swiss spiders?” It says in an article from the “Südkurier”. And the author provides the answer right away. The Swiss wouldn’t be crazy.
Big day of loosening: This is what Switzerland is looking forward to the most(12:31)
“What you can only be jealous of in Germany”
On the contrary: the Germans could learn something from us. After all, the measures in Switzerland have never been as tough as in Germany. “And Switzerland has not fared significantly worse than Germany with its liberal course, at least in the current wave,” says the article.
And that’s exactly what the Germans are jealous of: our courage for freedom. This was the conclusion of the “Südkurier”: “The fact that Switzerland decides for freedom when in doubt is something that one can only be jealous of in Germany.”
Europe relaxes, the Germans have to wait
Switzerland is not alone with the liberal Corona course in Europe. Austria, France and the Netherlands are also abolishing their measures. Austria will largely lift its measures from March 5th, as the government announced on Wednesday. In France, discotheques have been able to reopen since Wednesday, and concert organizers are allowed to offer standing room. In the Netherlands, nightclubs and bars are allowed to stay open until 1 a.m. from Friday. And Switzerland is also lifting most of its restrictions.
Denmark and Norway had previously abolished most of the corona measures. The Germans, on the other hand, have to be patient. (jmh/AFP)