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Now comes the Lex Corona! The Federal Council is learning lessons from the corona pandemic and amending the Epidemics Act accordingly. His goal: future health crises must be better managed.
The Epidemics Act, which came into force in 2016, has proven to be an “effective instrument” during the corona pandemic, Health Minister Alain Berset (51) said at a press conference in Bern on Wednesday. Nevertheless, “certain specific adjustments” are needed to close the loopholes in the legislation. And what worked during the Covid-19 crisis needs to be strengthened.
In principle, the cantons should be responsible for implementing measures. However, the federal government should be given additional powers in the field of surveillance and epidemiological research. The federal government should also have more say in national measures such as prevention and vaccination.
The proposal also regulates the conditions under which the Federal Council takes over the tasks of the cantons and what it can order.
The Epidemics Act already provides for an escalation model in three phases: from the normal situation to the special situation to the extraordinary situation. Depending on the level, the federal government and the cantons have different powers, which are specified. The criteria for assessing a health risk situation should also be more precisely specified.
The transitions between normal, special and extraordinary situations are also regulated more precisely. The cantons and parliament are better integrated in the decisions. Before changing the situation from the normal to the special situation, cantons and parliamentary committees must be consulted.
There is also a kind of preliminary phase: if there is a threat, the federal government and cantons must prepare for the intervention of a special template – for example by preparing the crisis organization or building up resources for possible contact tracing or for vaccinations. . It is also clearly stated that in the special situation the federal government can order measures both throughout Switzerland and only for particularly affected regions.
If an extraordinary situation arises, the Federal Council can, as before, order further measures using the “emergency law”. However, the Federal Council refrains from setting fixed thresholds because they “may vary depending on the pandemic”.
The Federal Council wants to be better prepared for future pandemics. For this reason, measures regarding home office, mask requirements, certificates or protection concepts are also laid down in the Epidemics Act.
The new regulation also includes the strengthening, digitalization and better networking of systems and methods for monitoring communicable diseases. Consider, for example, the national reporting system, wastewater monitoring and the implementation of gene sequencing.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how important these systems are in order to register the development of the situation and take appropriate measures in a timely manner,” says Berset. “By strengthening surveillance systems, new threats can be better identified in the future.”
The Federal Council also wants to strengthen the fight against antibiotic resistance and nosocomial infections. These would represent two of the most important current and future public health challenges.
The new Epidemics Act therefore provides for the introduction of new measures to combat antibiotic resistance and prevent healthcare-associated infections.
The law will now be consulted until March 22, 2024.
The Minister of Health ends the press conference after the extensive question and answer session.
It is difficult to say what will be different with the new law than in the autumn of 2020. “When we were confronted with this rapidly increasing development, we saw that the cantons reacted very differently. And there was a certain resistance, some simply expected that the Federal Council would continue to decide and implement everything. But: the goal was to achieve the opposite. “Namely that after the initial shock and the clear preparatory work of the federal government in the extraordinary situation, the cantons are once again taking on more responsibility.” Berset compares it to the Spanish flu: a hundred years later people simply forgot everything. This also threatens in the case of Covid-19.
Berset says that the responsibilities between the federal government and the cantons must be better regulated. “The problem during the pandemic was not the transition from one phase to another, but rather the implementation of the skills during the corresponding phase.” It depends very much on how the cantons react and what political views exist in the cantonal governments. Berset therefore remains realistic: “It is clear: you cannot expect everything from a law.”
“You cannot regulate everything in detail with one law,” says Berset when asked how they want to prevent patchwork in the cantons in the future. But the law must help ensure that preparation can be done better and more calmly. “We must always take this into account: things can be very different than during Corona.”
The Covid certificate will probably remain an instrument in the fight against pandemics in the future, as Berset explains in response to a relevant question. Certificates would certainly remain an option to be able to use them for travel, for example. You must be able to respond quickly if the initial situation is appropriate.
When asked whether a future task force would be regulated by law, Lévy replied: “That is a question that is regulated at the federal level when preparing for crises.” However: the Federal Council will continue to need scientific task forces in the future.
Does the federal government also apply to hospital services?
When asked whether the federal government’s cost reimbursement also applies to hospital services, Anne Lévy says: “The point is that responsibilities are better clarified. The cantons remain responsible for healthcare.” Aspects that are now regulated in the Covid Act, such as that hospitals must provide capacity, should now be included in the Epidemics Act.
In addition, certain measures related to the home office, mask requirements, certificates and protection concepts should be specified in the partial revision, Berset says. The Federal Council also wants to strengthen, network and digitize monitoring systems and methods.
Consultations for the partial revision are now underway, Berset continued. With this he concludes his remarks. The question and answer session has started.
At its meeting today, the Federal Council also discussed two options for future financial assistance: On the one hand, special laws could be adopted in the future as soon as such laws become necessary.
On the other hand, the Federal Council could have the option to include financial support in the Epidemics Act if certain conditions are met.
Berset talks about the escalation model. The Federal Council wishes to specify the points and provisions that can be used to assess the situation. He also wants to better integrate the cantons and parliament.
In principle, the cantons should be responsible for implementing measures. However, the federal government should be given additional powers in the field of surveillance and epidemiological research, Berset explains. The federal government should also have more say in national measures such as prevention and vaccination.
The partial revision of the Epidemics Act, which has been in force since 2016, is necessary in view of pandemics and significant health threats, says Berset. The Federal Council wants to adapt the escalation model to normal, special and extraordinary situations.
Therefore, after hearing numerous stakeholders (cantons, parliamentary committees, companies, institutions and associations) and on the basis of various parliamentary evaluations and initiatives, the Federal Council proposes a partial revision of the Epidemic Act. To strengthen what worked during the Covid-19 crisis, Berset said.
Source:Blick
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