The Swiss government has announced first steps back to some form of normality as the number of new infections from the coronavirus are falling. But the measures are fairly small and coming weeks will remain a tough challenge for many.
The permission to open for hairdressers, gardening and DIY stores in ten days’ time and for all other shops and compulsory schools in three-and-a-half weeks may be welcome news, but the strict demands on personal hygiene and the stay-at-home message remain in place. The Swiss government’s measures of opening up the country are tentative.
Most Public Institutions Will Remain Shut
What the measures mean is that home office remains the recommended norm, meetings will be held online, universities and higher education institutions remain shut, not to mention the ban on events for a broader public.
The pressure applied by the economy, political parties and organizations ahead of today’s meeting by the government clearly didn’t outweigh the scientific advice by the health department.
Hence the slowdown of society and of most economic activity remains in place and the slump in demand for goods and services is being prolonged. The financial industry faces the risk of a wave of company failures with defaults as a consequence. Many companies active in tourism and restaurants and bars may have to close down.
Time for the Digital Age
For the providers of digital services however, the times are perfect: the longer the measures remain in place, the more expensive it is to maintain physical infrastructures because they don’t help generate income. A good example are the numerous bank branches temporarily closed as people were asked to stay at home – the question is whether they will actually be reopened?
The economic costs of fighting the virus weren’t mentioned much at today's press conference in Bern, as significant as they are.
