Interior minister sees no alternative to Covid vaccination drive

The vaccination rate of 71% in Switzerland is too low, Berset says Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

In the fight against Covid-19 a high vaccination rate and a new vaccination offensive is the only option, says Swiss Interior Minister Alain Berset. He has also warned of problems when travelling abroad if voters reject the Covid law next month.

The vaccination rate of 71% in Switzerland was too low in view of the more contagious Delta variant, Berset said in an interview with CH-MediaExternal link on Monday.

“What’s the alternative? Shrug our shoulders and do nothing?” That’s not an option and the cantons saw it that way too, he said. “We have to try everything again.”

Berset said everyone would come into contact with the virus anyway, the only question was how to immunise them – “by vaccination in a controlled, safe way or by infection with all the risks that a severe disease entails”.

Berset proposed the increased use of mobile vaccination centres, especially in smaller towns. Retired doctors could take on the task of treating very rare complications. Churches or associations could organise information events, he said. “We need public advocacy and commitment to vaccination so that we can get through the winter together.”

He did not foresee a relaxation of the measures yet. The vaccination rate at the beginning of the cold season was still too low for that, he said. “But the more we vaccinate and the more people get infected in parallel, the faster we can move on to normal everyday life. We want to prevent the burden in hospitals from increasing so much that the government has to decide on tough measures again.”

Covid certificate

Asked about the requirement to show a Covid certificate to enter certain establishments, Berset said the government would review the situation in November, but that it was “too early to rush ahead” in view of the rising number of infections and hospital admissions.

Berset also warned against a rejection of the Covid law on November 28. “This would affect not only the certificate. Aid for the self-employed, staff, companies, culture, sport or day-care centres would also be affected – as would regulations such as the exemption of vaccinated people from the quarantine obligation. And we would also lack the legal basis for the certificate system from next spring,” he said.

This would not mean that Swiss citizens could no longer travel abroad, he said, “but it would be much more complicated because they would no longer be able to travel with the certificate or would have to accept restrictions in the destination country”. Recent polls suggest voters support the Covid law.

Berset said the virus would continue to circulate in large parts of the world for a long time, “therefore a certificate will probably be needed for international travel for even longer”. However, he hoped that a certificate would no longer be needed for domestic travel next year.