Swiss Try Light Touch Virus Curbs in Effort to Keep Economy Open
Swiss Try Light Touch Virus Curbs in Effort to Keep Economy Open
(Bloomberg) -- Switzerland is resisting a lockdown to stem the second wave of the coronavirus -- even as infection rates surpass those in neighboring France and Germany.
The debt-averse Swiss government is desperately trying to keep the economy open and has so far opted for a lighter touch: expanding mandatory mask-wearing, limiting the number of people that can gather privately or publicly and closing nightclubs. It has stopped short of shutting restaurants and bars.
Over the summer, Switzerland managed to keep the virus in check. Infection rates remained low as people wined and dined with only the sight of masks and disinfectants as reminders of the pandemic. But as the weather got colder and people began to gather more indoors, daily infections surged. They reached 9,207 on Friday from 550 at the beginning of October, making the nation worse off than its European counterparts when adjusted for the size of its population.
Switzerland’s strategy is adapted to its specific political, economic and social characteristics, a spokesman for the health ministry said in an email. Further measures will be taken if necessary.
Not everybody agrees with the current approach.
“I would’ve preferred the Swiss to implement stricter measures earlier,” said Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Basel. “What concerns me is that we’ve seen other countries taking lighter-touch approaches previously and that wasn’t enough for them to turn the curve enough.”
Switzerland shut down for three months in the spring, though even then, the measures were eased much faster than elsewhere -- and the feared shortage of hospital beds never occurred.
Still, the lockdown caused the biggest economic contraction since the 1970s. The Swiss are now bracing for a 20 billion-franc ($22 billion) budget deficit this year. Finance Minister Ueli Maurer, who had previously estimated the deficit to amount to more than 30 billion francs, had said the country couldn’t afford another $30 billion in a second wave.
The government has repeatedly pointed to the importance of individual responsibility and called on people to limit contacts, keep their distance, wear masks and wash hands. And yet there have been several super-spreader events, ranging from a yodeling concert to a wedding with more than 200 guests.
In the meantime, some cantons are taking matters into their own hands. French-speaking Jura has imposed some of the strictest measures this time around, shutting all public infrastructure, restaurants and bars. The move comes after recording 19 deaths in the last 15 days, compared with just seven during the first wave.
“If everyone recognizes how serious the situation is and behaves accordingly, we may be able to prevent new infections,” Martin Ackermann, head of the Swiss scientific coronavirus task force, told reporters on Friday. Still, “it’s quite possible that drastic measures and closures will be necessary.”
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