Minister’s quote on a T-shirt raises money for coronavirus poor

A firm in Fribourg put Berset's quote on a T-shirt, as shown here. Keystone

A T-shirt with a statement by Swiss health minister Alain Berset on the coronavirus crisis has already been sold 20,000 times, raising money for charity, the firm behind the initiative said on Friday.

So far the T-shirt sales have raised CHF179,000 ($183,000) for Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.

At an April 16 press conference on the government’s coronavirus confinement exit strategy, Berset said (in French) that it should be done “as quickly as possible and as slowly as necessary”.

A communications agency from Fribourg put that on a T-shirt and launched the sale a day later. Co-managing director Pete Mager said the T-shirt had been in great demand and sales were higher than hoped.

Swiss Solidarity launched a campaign on March 23 calling for financial help to support the elderly and the homeless, as well as people in need who struggle to cope with dramatic income losses due to the coronavirus restrictions ordered by the government.

It said CHF15 million ($15.3 million) had been raised in the first two weeks of a campaign, but more money was still needed as demand from vulnerable sections of society continues to build up.