Freedom instead of lockdown: ZDF report on Swiss pride

Germany is amazed at the lax corona measures in Switzerland. The “Bild” even reported on the “Corona miracle” in the country and was amazed at how the country could turn the trend without a lockdown. But now the «ZDF» is going in the opposite direction. The renowned “Auslandsjournal” program sent a reporter to get an idea of ​​the Corona situation in Switzerland on site. The title of the report: “The pride of the Swiss – freedom instead of corona lockdown.” Conclusion of the report: Switzerland is risking a risky middle course that claims human lives.

“People don’t like to talk about Corona in the Swiss mountains” – with these words the ZDF report opens. Visit to Schwellbrunn in Appenzell, which made headlines in October: Because a bride and groom invited 200 guests to the wedding despite symptoms. Even when the corona symptoms increased, the silence continued. “Many here think Corona is a pipe dream,” says ZDF reporter Eva Schiller.

“The danger of this virus has not really been proven,” replied a local resident of the journalist. Others would be annoyed by this attitude. Because after the wedding, the Oktoberfest was also celebrated. And the numbers exploded.

During the first lockdown, there were hardly any infections in the area, says Dorfwirt Peter Sturzenegger from the inn and butcher’s shop Ochsen. “Now, it actually did good,” says the landlord. It is a warning: “Attention, boys”, says Sturzenegger, “it’s serious”.

Yves Noël Balmer, Health Director of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, admits that the warnings from virologists in the summer were not taken seriously: “It was very surprising that it happened so quickly.” The motto in Appenzell is probably that of the whole country, the reporter sums up. The government in Bern does not decide. Measures are up to the 26 cantons.

Health Director Balmer is asked whether it makes sense to keep inns open. He doesn’t have to think long: “The Swiss are very freedom-loving. We have to take measures with our population that are also lived. “

According to the reporter, Switzerland is taking a “diametrically different path” than Germany, for example. Despite twice as high infection rates, people in the country of the confederates rely on personal responsibility: “Everything remains open as long as it somehow works. Despite full intensive care units. “

Health Minister Alain Berset (48) is also calm: “Skiing is a must”, and Finance Minister “Ulrich” Maurer (70) is concerned with protecting the economy in advance: “We cannot afford a second lockdown,” says Maurer. “We don’t have the money for that. We have to take risk-based measures. “

Despite the top European values, only partial lockdowns have been declared in the cantons. The French-speaking part of the country also met with little understanding – where intensive care units were still at their limit and 20 percent of the hospital staff were infected in mid-November

Martin Tramer, Head of Emergency Medicine at Geneva University Hospital: “There are politicians who represent the economy. Sometimes you would have wanted to show them around a hospital and the intensive care unit so that they could see what was actually going on here. “

Switzerland is a rich country and has certain reserves, says Tramer. But in the end the question is what is more important: “The well-being of patients or the economy.”

Isabelle Eckerle, a virologist at the University Hospital of Geneva, is also sought out. She watched “stunned” as the death rate in Switzerland soared to three times the German value. Eckerle speaks of “many preventable deaths”. The numbers in Switzerland are declining, she admits: “But we are still at a very, very high level.”

In Zurich, too, there is the impression of a normal situation. People go out, restaurants are open. Although the infection rates are as high as in a German hotspot. Many would support the government’s liberal stance. But there is also resistance to the lax measures.

“In Switzerland, people are trying to find a middle ground with the virus,” says Simon Gehren from the #CoronaZero campaign. “The middle ground is usually a Swiss virtue. But there is no middle ground with the virus. “

A society can be recognized by how it deals with its weakest, whether it helps them, says a passerby. You have the «impression that this principle is not being followed here».

“Switzerland risks a risky middle ground,” concludes the reporter, “which claims human lives.” (kes)

Published: December 3rd, 2020, 3:02 am

Last updated: December 3rd, 2020, 7:20 am