REVEALED: Mask shortage determined Switzerland's Covid-19 policy
Newly-obtained documents show the reason why health authorities insisted, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, that masks offered no protection against the infection. Health Minister Alain Berset disputes the findings.
From mid-March until the end of April, when the Covid-19 outbreak was at its worst, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) claimed that face masks were ineffective against the disease.
Even as masks became compulsory in neighbouring countries, and over 1,000 coronavirus cases were reported in Switzerland each day, the authorities still insisted masks were not needed to protect the population.
"Asking people to wear a mask permanently outside… doesn't work for Switzerland," Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga said at the time.
But according to the Sunday editions of Le Matin Dimanche and the SonntagsZeitung newspapers, the minutes from the meetings of the government's crisis units show that at the beginning of the outbreak Switzerland only had two and a half weeks of stocks available.
"At the height of the pandemic, the Federal Council's position on masks varied depending on the stock available in the country," Le Matin Dimanche said.
The change in strategy happened at the end of April, when 90 million masks ordered by the army arrived in Switzerland.
"A week later, the FOPH advised the population to wear a mask when the physical distance of 1.5 metres couldn't be respected," the newspaper reported.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Where in Switzerland are masks compulsory right now?
But the government didn't make masks mandatory until July 6th, when they became compulsory on all public transportation in Switzerland.
They are also now obligatory in shops in cantons of Geneva, Vaud, and Jura, as well as at the Geneva airport.
And given the rising number of infections, the FOPH now says that the compulsory mask requirement should be extended to include all interiors.
The use of face masks has given rise to heated debate in many countries over the past months. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has recommended use of face masks in environments where social distancing isn't possible, with its chief scientist saying the centre has become more convinced of their benefit as the pandemic has developed.
The World Health Organisation has also changed its recommendations on masks, advising that governments should encourage mask-wearing in environments where distancing is not possible, such as public transport or crowded indoor areas – even while stating that there is not much scientific evidence showing they prevent the spread of the disease.
Swiss government disputes the claim
In an interview on Swiss television on August 4th, Health Minister Alain Berset disputed the claims, saying the government's advice was always to wear a mask.
"The story sounds very good, but it's wrong" Berset said.
"You just look for certainty in a very uncertain time. We communicated from the start that the mask is useful so that we do not infect others. And that it is not easy to use the masks correctly and that they are only useful. When everything was closed, it made sense.
"But from the moment the measures were relaxed, it was always clear: in certain situations you should wear the mask."
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From mid-March until the end of April, when the Covid-19 outbreak was at its worst, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) claimed that face masks were ineffective against the disease.
Even as masks became compulsory in neighbouring countries, and over 1,000 coronavirus cases were reported in Switzerland each day, the authorities still insisted masks were not needed to protect the population.
"Asking people to wear a mask permanently outside… doesn't work for Switzerland," Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga said at the time.
But according to the Sunday editions of Le Matin Dimanche and the SonntagsZeitung newspapers, the minutes from the meetings of the government's crisis units show that at the beginning of the outbreak Switzerland only had two and a half weeks of stocks available.
"At the height of the pandemic, the Federal Council's position on masks varied depending on the stock available in the country," Le Matin Dimanche said.
The change in strategy happened at the end of April, when 90 million masks ordered by the army arrived in Switzerland.
"A week later, the FOPH advised the population to wear a mask when the physical distance of 1.5 metres couldn't be respected," the newspaper reported.
READ MORE: UPDATE: Where in Switzerland are masks compulsory right now?
But the government didn't make masks mandatory until July 6th, when they became compulsory on all public transportation in Switzerland.
They are also now obligatory in shops in cantons of Geneva, Vaud, and Jura, as well as at the Geneva airport.
And given the rising number of infections, the FOPH now says that the compulsory mask requirement should be extended to include all interiors.
The use of face masks has given rise to heated debate in many countries over the past months. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) has recommended use of face masks in environments where social distancing isn't possible, with its chief scientist saying the centre has become more convinced of their benefit as the pandemic has developed.
The World Health Organisation has also changed its recommendations on masks, advising that governments should encourage mask-wearing in environments where distancing is not possible, such as public transport or crowded indoor areas – even while stating that there is not much scientific evidence showing they prevent the spread of the disease.
Swiss government disputes the claim
In an interview on Swiss television on August 4th, Health Minister Alain Berset disputed the claims, saying the government's advice was always to wear a mask.
"The story sounds very good, but it's wrong" Berset said.
"You just look for certainty in a very uncertain time. We communicated from the start that the mask is useful so that we do not infect others. And that it is not easy to use the masks correctly and that they are only useful. When everything was closed, it made sense.
"But from the moment the measures were relaxed, it was always clear: in certain situations you should wear the mask."
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