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In an interview with SRF, Ueli Maurer sharply criticized the government and the media for their behavior during the corona pandemic. A political scientist and an infectiologist classify his statements.
Four years have passed since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. But the generational event continues to move – including former Federal Councilor Ueli Maurer. On the sidelines of the Aargau Democracy Days, where the former finance minister gave a lecture on tax competition, he again sharply criticized the behavior of politicians and the media during the Corona years to SRF.
In the short interview, the ex-Federal Councilor repeated allegations that had already been made earlier.
The political scientist Sarah Büttikofer and infectiologist Jan Fehr classify the statements of the former Federal Council.
Statement one:
Corona has opened the financial floodgates.
For the ex-magistrate, one thing is clear: the Corona years have led to a change in mentality in Switzerland. During the pandemic, people “lost scale” in financial policy and paid for everything and anything. The SVP politician uses Schiller and speaks of the “curse of the evil deed”, which had to give birth to perpetuating evil.
Sarah Büttikofer from the Sotomo Research Institute is critical of Maurer’s statements. “There was no comparable example for Corona.” Expenses actually increased rapidly at the time due to the exceptional situation. However, there is no fundamental change in direction in financial policy. This is evident not least in the current debates in Federal Bern. “At the moment the focus is on saving again.”
Statement two:
The population was manipulated.
After the outbreak of the pandemic, great uncertainty spread among the population, said Maurer. “People were told: ‘If you don’t do exactly what we say, then you or your fellow human beings will die,’” says Maurer, who served in the state government for 14 years, summarizing the communication with the authorities from his perspective. This was a “diktat” that “should not exist in a free state,” said Maurer.
According to political scientist Sarah Büttikofer, Ueli Maurer probably wants to appeal primarily to the SVP base with his latest statements. From the beginning there were circles that were critical of the measures. Overall, Swiss Corona policy was characterized by restraint compared to international standards. “We didn’t have curfews or permanent school closures,” said the political scientist. “The then Federal Council member Ueli Maurer may also have contributed to this.”
Statement three:
False statements were made about the effectiveness of the vaccine.
According to Ueli Maurer, those responsible promised that the vaccination would protect you and those around you. “But that wasn’t true,” said the SVP politician. Maurer reacted harshly to the SRF reporter’s question as to whether there was scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the vaccine: “Scientists say all sorts of things. A lot of what was said back then was simply not true.”
Infectiologist Jan Fehr from the University of Zurich makes it clear that the vaccination was focused on protecting against serious illnesses right from the start. The vaccination fulfilled this mission. “The contagion factor was another chapter,” said the doctor. At the beginning it was more likely that the vaccination protected against infections. “With Delta and especially with Omicron, protection against infection decreased.” Science has continually learned new things throughout the pandemic.
Statement four
The virus was not dangerous.
20 million people have died from the coronavirus worldwide so far. But when asked whether the virus posed a danger, Maurer answered briefly and clearly with “No”. He also brushes aside concerns about the many long-Covid cases: Maurer believes that even the flu can cause long-term damage. For him, the winter that is coming to an end is an example of how we are dealing with flu-like conditions. “It was probably all Corona. But nobody was interested in that.”
Infectiologist Fehr criticizes Maurer’s statements and speaks of them being trivialized. “If you think back to the pictures of Bergamo, you realize that it was something completely different.” The situation has actually changed now. “Today most people are vaccinated and have been infected in the past. 99 percent have built up antibodies against the coronavirus.” This is the only reason why a regulated everyday life is possible today.