Switzerland plans for improved pandemic protection

Federal Council wants to better protect the population from future pandemics Keystone-SDA

Switzerland is preparing for future pandemics with measures, such as clearer responsibilities for the government and cantons, improved monitoring and supply of medical goods and a legal basis for economic aid.

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The government adopted a revision of the Epidemics Act on Wednesday. The bill will bring improvements in dealing with health crises, it wrote. It is thinking of epidemics and pandemics, but also of dealing with the increasing number of antibiotic resistances. Now the ball is in parliament’s court.

According to the Federal Council, the reform will clarify the distribution of competences at all levels of government. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that adjustments are needed to improve prevention and the management of future threats to public health, it said.

Clearer allocation of competences

Among other things, the escalation model with normal, special and extraordinary stages is to be adapted. In the normal situation, the Federal Council should now be able to order measures on public transport in the event of a particular threat. This could, for example, be a mask-wearing obligation.

The special situation is to be formally determined by the government itself after consulting the cantons and the relevant parliamentary committees. At the same time, it should make the necessary decisions regarding strategy and organisation to combat the threat. The cantons should remain primarily responsible for imposing restrictions in the event of a crisis, such as banning events.

In an extraordinary situation – the third and highest level – the Federal Council should be able to order measures under emergency law. The Confederation and cantons should also be obliged to prepare for health emergencies, in particular with crisis plans such as the national pandemic plan.

Status quo for vaccination rules

The bill stipulates that the cantons must facilitate low-threshold access to vaccinations, particularly in pharmacies. There are no changes to the mandatory vaccination programme. Vaccination without the consent of the person concerned is not possible today, nor will it be in future.

The bill also provides for the Federal Council to authorise the production of important medical goods itself if the cantons or private companies are unable to do so. These include vaccines, hygiene and respiratory masks, syringes and protective equipment. The federal government should also be able to cover the costs of vaccines, tests and medicines in the event of future pandemics.

If the measures have a significant impact on the turnover of companies and there is a risk of a severe recession in the economy as a whole, the Federal Council should be able to provide repayable liquidity assistance to support companies.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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