Given the non-availability of an effective treatment or a vaccine for the general population and the uncertainty about the length of immunity, this post-peak phase might last for several months, if not years, as only physical restrictions are able to mitigate the virus spread under such circumstances [
6]. As the results of early simulation research have shown, such restrictions were supposed to be necessary for the upcoming two to four years [
7]. Leading Swiss epidemiologists now expect the pandemic to last at least until the end of 2021 [
8]. To further aggravate the situation, the demand for psychiatric and psychological treatment is expected to grow as a result of its socioeconomic repercussions, as evidenced by earlier epidemics, pandemics and other shock events [
9,
10]. Clinicians and scientists expect long-term consequences for people who suffer from social isolation, financial hardship and possible unemployment, leading to an increase in demand for treatment of survivors, grieving family members, healthcare workers and the general population in the event of further increasing infection rates and related COVID-19 illness spikes. The increase in unemployment alone is likely to lead to several thousand additional suicides globally, according to recent estimates based on scenarios published by the United Nations’ International Labour Organization in March 2020 [
11]. Now, the total number of job losses worldwide has been shown to be much larger than in the predicted underlying worst-case scenario. This may also account for the number of expected suicides. However, the further development depends on both infection rates and the welfare state response. Until autumn 2020, the economic fallout of the pandemic has mainly been absorbed by measures such as the furlough scheme. Therefore, the welfare state response is increasingly seen as the second line of pandemic response that has public health consequences, too [
12].