© KEYSTONE/ANTHONY ANEX
No new mutation of the virus linked to Covid-19 is currently in sight, even if there is “an uncertainty that we must accept”, declared Saturday the Minister of Health Alain Berset on the German-speaking radio station SRF. He described the health situation as good.
The Federal Councilor repeated the government’s strategy of finding some sort of middle ground so as to “hinder people’s lives as little as necessary”.
“The time is over for harsh measures, because despite the high number of cases, there is no threat of overloading the health services”, observed Mr. Berset in the program Rundschau, on the occasion from an interview recorded the day before.
It is not certain that it will still be the same next winter, but as it stands, we are heading towards a rapid relaxation of measures such as the lifting of the quarantine obligation or telework, a-t he said, as he had already expressed on Friday during his visit to Aargau.
“Inevitable Mistakes”
Mr. Berset acknowledged that the Confederation had made mistakes. “We could have prepared better,” he said. In 2018 and 2019, no one imagined such a brutal pandemic. At the start of Covid, Switzerland found itself disorganized, lacking certain resources.
“But in a crisis situation, when a lot of information is missing, it is almost impossible not to make mistakes,” continued the federal public health official. Overall, his assessment is positive: “In what other country would you have liked to live during this pandemic?”, He asked.
Regarding the maintenance of the opening of schools, criticized by some, Mr. Berset explained that this was justified by the concern for the mental health of children. Considering only the risk of infection is not enough.
“The greatest suffering is caused when schools are closed,” said the federal councilor and father. In Switzerland, they were closed for a shorter period than in other countries.