“Between July and September, we underestimated the situation”.
This admission is signed by the brand new president of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, who thus recognizes errors in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"We thought we could control the virus," said the Swiss leader this Sunday in an interview with the newspaper SonntagsBlick, acknowledging that the authorities "were far from it".
On Twitter, many people were quick to recall that from July 3, the Scientific Task Force responsible for advising on the fight against the pandemic wrote that "SARS-CoV-2 infections are increasing in Switzerland at an alarming rate. And called for urgent measures.
It has not happened.
Guy Parmelin took office on January 1, but as federal advisor in charge of the economy, he has played an important role in managing the health crisis for a year.
He retains this portfolio during his one-year presidency.
Very strong second wave
Switzerland experienced a relatively moderate first wave compared to the violence with which the pandemic was hitting its European neighbors, but the country is experiencing a very strong second wave this fall and winter.
For weeks now, the Alpine country of 8.6 million inhabitants has shown more than 4,000 new infections per day and around 100 deaths daily.
Vaccinations have started in several cantons of the country but at a still slow pace.
What is more, here as elsewhere in Europe, the British variant - more contagious - of the new coronavirus has been detected at least five times.
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On Saturday, the Presidents of the Greens and the Greens called on the Federal Council to take strict measures to fight the pandemic accompanied by economic aid, rather than the current policy "to hue and to dia".
Guy Parmelin, member of the right-wing populist UDC party, stressed that coordination with the cantons, which assume most of the responsibility for managing the health crisis, "is not always easy".
The Federal Council has sometimes had to take matters into its own hands to coordinate the fight against the disease.
"It is the role of politics to decide"
These difficulties were illustrated in December 2020 when the Federal Council wanted to impose new measures to try to put a stop to the infections, which were racing.
The French-speaking cantons complained that their efforts in previous weeks were not recognized against the German-speaking cantons, where the epidemic was starting again.
A compromise has been found, but the effectiveness of the measures or the failure will not be known until after the truce of the confectioners.
“The actions taken have always been a balance of interests between health, economy and people's psyche.
It's not all black or all white, ”notes Guy Parmelin.
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He also says that the Federal Council has taken note of the latest warnings from scientists, who fear in particular a third wave, while hospitals are close to saturation.
“These analyzes are part of the role of scientists and specialists”, adds Guy Parmelin, but “it is the role of politics to decide”.