Comment
For some, the federal government’s corona measures were too strict, for others too lax
Two reports show that certain rules have caused suffering among the elderly, the poor and young people. Mistakes have been made that must not be repeated in a future pandemic.
Because of the horrendous speed with which the coronavirus conquered the world, quick decisions were required at the beginning of the pandemic. Older people were most affected by Sars-CoV-2, as the excess mortality in nursing homes showed. But younger people were also torn from their lives in the first phase of the pandemic because of Covid. It was difficult to find the balance between the severity of the protective measures and the resulting restrictions on personal freedom.
This was not successful for all population groups, as the Federal Council writes. The lack of contact with relatives in retirement homes and the restriction of the civil liberties of the disabled residents were serious. The institutions were poorly prepared for the pandemic.
The Federal Council has learned its lesson from this and has therefore ordered measures. Looking back, however, we must not forget the panic that was caused by the infected people who were fighting for their last breath on the ventilators in the hospital. The Federal Council was under pressure from all sides. Many relatives of those who had died from Covid even felt that the federal government’s measures were too lax. In comparison with neighboring countries, these were balanced in Switzerland. The mistakes that have now been recognized must under no circumstances be repeated in a future pandemic.
