Switzerland is in the news again, and not in a positive sense. Quite the contrary: In no country in Western Europe are COVID-19 vaccine skeptics as vocal and militant as in the confederation. And for good reasons. In Switzerland, most major policy questions such as defense, immigration and membership in international organizations have to be submitted to the voters via and popular initiatives.
The next referendum will be held at the end of this month. The big issue: a modification of a federal law that informs the ordinances issued by the federal government to combat the pandemic. In what the vote is all about is the COVID-19 certificate that was introduced in September. Like in many other countries, it is required if you want to eat at a restaurant, work out at a gym or go to a public library.
For obvious reasons, those who for whatever reason refuse to get vaccinated have not been particularly happy about the new regulation. On November 28, Swiss voters will be given the opportunity to either come out in support of the existing law or reject it. In the latter case, it would expire early next year. Any new law regarding the pandemic would have to be renegotiated in the federal parliament.
In the face of these realities, patience appears to be running out in the country. A few days ago, Switzerland’s daily free newspaper 20 Minutes published the results of a survey it had commissioned. Respondents were asked their opinion on various anti-COVID-19 measures. More than half supported the notion that those who are not vaccinated should be sent into lockdown, but only if hospitals were to reach the limits of capacity once again. Given the situation in neighboring countries, this is hardly an unlikely scenario. More than 60% said that medical personnel should be obliged to get vaccinated.
Under the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that the opposing camp has intensified its campaign against the law, and not only in terms of rhetoric. One of the main sponsors of the campaign, a committee named “Healthy and free,” has been prepared to spend more than 1 million francs in support of the “no” campaign.
A significant part of the money comes from a Swiss billionaire couple who has organized the committee, together with one of the daughters of Christoph the of the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP), herself a and other prominent personalities. The “yes” side, on the other hand, has not more than a tenth of the funds at its disposal.
As the saying goes. In this case, the name is the program — and wishful thinking. To be “healthy and free,” as the past year has shown, is like squaring a circle. The intensive care units in Switzerland, Germany, the United States and elsewhere are full of patients who have paid for their freedom with their lives. Clearly, Kris Kristofferson was wrong when he claimed that “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” — at least when it comes to deadly viruses.
It is, therefore, hardly surprising that freedom is central to the opposition’s campaign. The other day, Swiss households received a flyer that charged that the government, politicians and the media were exerting “enormous pressure” on everyone who doesn’t want to or can’t get vaccinated, concluding that with the strengthening of the COVID-19 law “one legalizes the forced vaccination of all and everybody.” This, the opponents charge, not only leads to discrimination and a division of society but paves the way for the “total surveillance of the population.” The result: a slow erosion of liberties and democracy.
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