Zug, 16.12.2020
Health Director Martin Pfister calls for tougher measures
Too hesitant, not consistent enough: the Zug government has criticised the "cascaded approach" of the Federal Council
It’s not enough. Neither the Sunday closures for leisure establishments nor the 7 p.m. curfew for restaurants are enough to get a grip on the rising Corona case numbers. For once, the Confederation and the cantons are in agreement.
The Scientific Task Force also made it clear to the media on Tuesday that further measures were needed. Taskforce President Martin Ackermann even called for a lockdown: "From a scientific point of view, this makes sense in order to prevent the spread of the disease and to reduce the number of cases." But, as is well known, the Federal Council (Bundesrat) does not want to go that far. Instead, it is expected to unveil a traffic light system with three escalation levels on Friday.
Zug Government criticises the Federal Council's hesitant action
This has not been well received by the Zug government. When asked, Health Director Martin Pfister writes: "We consider the cascading approach to be insufficiently consistent in view of the development of the epidemiological situation."
Instead, the government calls for "more decisive action" from the federal government. Pfister goes on to say: "If a lockdown is necessary, it should be imposed quickly, consistently and for a limited period."
Zug Health Director Martin Pfister.
Photo: Maria Schmid (Zug, 11 November 2020)
The Governing Council is opposed to a "gradual lockdown over a longer period of time."
For weeks now, the local authorities have classified the situation in the canton of Zug as “threatening”. The situation has deteriorated over the whole of Central Switzerland in recent days, says Pfister. The health director is currently not only experiencing the effects of the corona pandemic as a government councillor, and has confirmed a report in the online magazine Zentralplus that he has had to go into quarantine after an infection within his family circle. He is not showing any Covid-19 symptoms, however. Unlike the intensive care patients in Zug cantonal hospital, which is very busy just now.
Will the vaccine come next month?
It is not clear how long it will be before the situation eases. According to several media reports, the cantons are preparing to release the vaccine, and, according to the Federal Office of Public Health, the federal government has reserved vaccination doses from three different manufacturers. The approval procedure at the Swissmedic Medical Institute is underway. The cantons don’t yet know when the vaccinations will begin, as the Zug Health Directorate writes on request.
But the authorities expect to be able to start vaccinations as early as January. The organisation of the vaccinations is a "large and challenging project" that requires "precise planning". The canton of Zug is on track, however. According to the letter from the Health Directorate, the government will announce further information on the state of preparations in the coming days.