Though the Swiss have a reputation of being set in their ways, it turns out they can also be flexible, pragmatic, and adapt to new circumstances amazingly well.

Here are six things the pandemic has revealed about Switzerland and its people. Do you agree? There may be more. Share your own views in the comments section below.

Even in times of crisis, the Swiss go to the ballot box

You’d think that in the midst of a pandemic, the country’s legendary direct democracy would be temporarily put on a back burner.

But no.

In September 2020, when the number of infections in Switzerland was skyrocketing, the Federal Council implemented an emergency legislation, the  Covid-19 Act, which would allow the government to manage the pandemic more extensively than it could under the already existing law.

Among other “powers”, the Act gives authorities the ability to curtail public life (for instance, by imposing various bans and restrictions), to manufacture and distribute Covid vaccines, and to give financial aid to hard-hit businesses and employees.

However, the association called “Friends of the Constitution” filed a referendum against  the Covid-19 Act, saying the legislation gives the authorities too much political power that is not necessary to manage the pandemic.

Swiss people finally resolved the highly contentious issue the way they always do: in a referendum held on June 13th of this year, 60.2 percent of voters approved the emergency legislation. 

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

In a crisis, the Swiss believe in solidarity

That’s why when the Federal Council ordered a six-week-long confinement in March 2020, along with the shutdown of all non-essential businesses, the Swiss complied with the drastic measures with hardly a squeak.

During this difficult time, they showed community spirit and social responsibility, putting the common good above their own interests.

As Health Minister Alain Berset summed it up, “Switzerland owes its stability to the constant search for a path acceptable to all. This approach proved its worth during the crisis.”

They assert their independence

Even though Switzerland followed many of the European Union’s coronavirus restrictions, such as closure of borders, in other areas it opted to chart its own path — literally and figuratively.

Last winter, while neighbour countries closed their ski areas to curtail the spread of the virus, Switzerland kept its mountain resorts open, stating defiantly that “the Federal Council, the authorities and the tourism industry are convinced that the Swiss way is right”.

By the same token, while nearby nations implemented strict rules which included curfews and restrictions on the distance people could travel from their homes, Switzerland  had none of these measures in place.

This relative laxity has prompted a German  tabloid, Bild, to call Switzerland  a “coronavirus paradise”.

“What is allowed in Switzerland and what is not fits on a beer mat” the tabloid wrote.

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

The Swiss economy is resilient

Even though the health crisis had plunged Switzerland’s economic activity into a “historic” 8.2-percent slump in 2020, the country still managed to have the world’s most resilient economy, according to research by an insurance and reinsurance company Swiss Re. 

Because of this robustness, Switzerland has managed to rebound faster than many other countries.

Also regarding employment prospects, KOF Economic Institute is predicting “strong job growth in the coming months”, including in the manufacturing and hospitality sectors, which have been significantly impacted by the pandemic.

READ MORE: ANALYSIS: What has Switzerland done right and wrong in managing the Covid pandemic?

Covid deniers: ‘Röstigraben’ is a real thing

Even though last September Berset  said that the country’s coronavirus skeptic movement, which is highly critical of vaccines and masks, had been “imported from abroad”, he got his geography wrong.

Mostly Swiss activists are behind the movement in Switzerland, though it turned out that deniers are much more vociferous in the Swiss-German part than in the French or Italian speaking regions.

“I have little sympathy for the current tendency to deny the virus, which is causing much suffering worldwide, and even accuse the authorities of dictatorial behaviour. That is absurd. Switzerland is one of the more liberal countries when it comes to corona measures,” Berset declared.

Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Swiss don’t like being told what to do

As The Local recently reported, when it comes vaccines, the government prefers the strategy of persuasion rather than obligation — even for those whose jobs bring them in close contact with vulnerable people.

From the cultural point of view, Swiss people value highly their civil liberties, which include the constitutional right to “self-determination” — the freedom to choose one’s own destiny, including vaccination.

As a Geneva daily, Le Temps, recently wrote in its editorial, “In Switzerland we will never see [president] Guy Parmelin haranguing the people and summoning them to be vaccinated. It is absolutely not in Swiss DNA. Here, we must take into account the different cantonal, cultural or societal sensitivities. The injunction does not work”.

To date, about 48 percent of Switzerland’s population is fully vaccinated — the rate that is lower than in most neighbour countries.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland rejects obligatory vaccinations for some professions

Can you think of other things Covid-19 has taught us about Switzerland? If so, contact us at [email protected]