“The situation is dangerous” – infectiologists criticize Berset for hesitating about new measures

The Federal Office of Public Health reported 19,032 corona cases on Thursday – the majority of infections can be traced back to the Omikron variant. Despite the massive increase in the number of infections, the Federal Council is waiting to take further measures. Health Minister Alain Berset announced this on Wednesday evening via Twitter.

According to Berset, the next package of measures is ready – closings are also possible. Nevertheless, the Federal Council wants to wait until further data on the Omikron variant are available before deciding on further measures. This decision met with criticism.

“I do not understand why one is waiting for further measures,” says the infectiologist Andreas Cerny. It is clear that with the high number of cases, hospitalizations would also increase – this can be seen in other countries such as Great Britain or the USA. “Governors, c’est prévoir: Those who are in charge must also look forward and see what is happening around us,” says Cerny.

By waiting, important time had already been lost and preparations for implementing the measures were being delayed. It is now important, especially with regard to the New Year’s Eve celebrations, to limit contacts. «You shouldn’t mix too many families, there should be a maximum of guests from two families. In addition, you should definitely test yourself, i.e. use the 2G + concept, ”advises the infectiologist. Omikron is already infectious before symptoms develop and due to the high risk of infection, the virus spreads extremely efficiently in families.

Infectiologist Christian Garzoni also criticizes the Federal Council’s hesitation: “The situation is dangerous, unstable and unclear. The Federal Council would have to act immediately; it cannot simply wait for more data. ” It has been seen in the past few days that the virus is spreading massively. “We don’t know where we’re going right now,” says Garzoni.

The situation in the hospitals is difficult enough, the numbers in German-speaking Switzerland have been increasing since the beginning of December. There is still hope that the Omicron course will be milder. But: “It is very clear that the situation is critical. The cantons or the Federal Council must now react. “

Health politician and Central National Councilor Lorenz Hess, on the other hand, thinks that the Federal Council’s decision is in order: “We have been doing relatively well with the milder measures for two years – you have to have the courage to continue this line during New Year’s Eve.” For the National Council, however, it is clear that the New Year’s Eve celebrations could result in an even higher number of cases – Switzerland is already recording higher numbers of infections per day than ever before.

“We’re doing a dance on the volcano at the moment anyway. It would be an incredible miracle if this wave of omicrones simply passed Switzerland by, ”says Hess. Everything must be done in the coming weeks to prevent a lockdown, such as that which took place in Austria or France, for example. “Instead of closings, I advocate good measures – such as a capacity limit for people in the catering industry and in shops,” says Hess.