Voters approve COVID restrictions
Swiss voters on Sunday gave clear backing to legislation that introduced a system with special COVID-19 cer- tificates under which only people who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested negative can attend public events and gatherings.
Final results showed 62% of voters supporting the legislation, which is already in force. The referendum offered a rare bellwether of public opinion on the issue of government policy to fight the spread of coronavirus in Europe, which is currently the global epicen- ter of the pandemic.
The vote on the country’s “COVID-19 law,” which also has unlocked billions of Swiss francs (dollars) in aid for work- ers and businesses hit by the pandemic, came as Switzer- land — like many other nations in Europe — faces a steep rise in coronavirus cases.
Health Minister Alain Berset said, with the result, authorities “still have the nec- essary instruments to manage the crisis, and we can, if necessary, adjust the instruments to developments.”
Of the country’s 26 cantons (states), only two — Schwyz and Appenzell Innerrho- den, both conservative rural regions in eastern Switzerland — voted against the legislation.
“A decision has been made and we must come together now to get through this win- ter as well as possible,” Berset said. “This is an appeal for unity but also for respect for decisions that have been taken.”
Turnout on Sunday was 65.7%, unusually high for a country that holds referendums several times a year. confirmed cases of the new, more highly transmissible omicron virus variant.
Bars, restaurants, nonessential stores, cinemas and theaters were among the pub- lic places forced to shut from 5 p.m. until 5 a.m. under the new lockdown.
The Netherlands has seen a string of record daily infections in recent weeks and an earlier partial lockdown appears to have had little effect. Dutch hospitals have warned that intensive care units could become overwhelmed by the end of the week. The Dutch government has mandated that all non- essential surgeries, such as hip replacements, be postponed to free up ICU beds for COVID-19 patients. of coronavirus infections.
The protesters included members and supporters of a number of fringe political parties and groups that failed to win any parliamentary seats in October’s election.
The country has been setting repeated records in new daily infections, hitting a record high of almost 28,000 cases on Thursday. The infection rate was at 1,191 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. Overall, the nation of 10.7 million has registered over 2.1 million cases with 32,837 Covid-related deaths. It has lower vaccination rates than many other EU nations.
The Czech government declared a 30-day state of emergency and imposed addi- tional coronavirus restrictions Friday in its effort to tackle the surge. Among them, all Christmas markets across the country were banned and bars, restaurants, nightclubs, discotheques and casinos have to close at 10 p.m.