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HEALTH

Zurich: Nightclubs to collect personal information and refuse ‘guests with signs of a cold’

A guidance issued by the Bar and Club Commission of Zurich has encouraged nightclubs and bars in the city to keep the personal information of all attendees while also refusing entry to anyone who appears visibly ill.

Published: 5 March 2020 19:24 CET
Updated: 6 March 2020 05:32 CET
Zurich: Nightclubs to collect personal information and refuse 'guests with signs of a cold'
Photo by Jacob Morch from Pexels

After Zurich cantonal authorities on Wednesday issued a set of recommendations which included staying away from nightclubs, the city’s peak representative body of nightlife venues has issued a guidance document to minimise the risk of infection for attendees. 

The guidance, which was issued on Thursday afternoon, includes refusing entry to people who appear ill or who have travelled to high-risk areas recently, as well as collecting contact details and other personal information from all attendees. 

READ MORE

READ: Switzerland puts army into effective quarantine over coronavirus fears

UPDATE: Number of coronavirus cases in Switzerland continues to rise

MAP: Which Swiss cantons have been most affected by coronavirus?

The Bar and Club Commission says that while closing all clubs in the canton “would be an effective means (of stopping the spread of the virus), it would go beyond the scope of what is necessary”. 

“Closing the clubs represents a very far-reaching measure to contain SARS COVID-19 and presents entrepreneurs with existential questions. In the interest of proportionality, the BCK examined milder measures”. 

As reported in Swiss newspaper Watson, some clubs have already taken the suggested steps. The Mascotte club in Zurich said that attendees would be refused entry unless they provided their personal information at the entrance or via the club’s app. 

The club also required attendees to answer whether they had been to a high-risk area including “northern Italy, Asia including China, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, South Korea and Singapore” and whether they felt sick. 

All club attendees needed to bring valid ID to prove their identity, as well as carry a mobile phone at all times. 

 

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HEALTH INSURANCE

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

The Swiss health system is ranked among the best in the world, but some essentials, like glasses, aren't automatically covered by health insurance. That could soon change, however

Published: 16 May 2024 15:06 CEST
Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

Green Party Federal Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber revealed in an interview with newspaper 20 Minuten this week that the Federal Parliament had tabled a motion to include prescription glasses and contact lenses in Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance scheme. 

Prelicz-Huber stated: “The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,”

The motion forms part of the legislation that will be voted on during the 2024 summer session of the Federal Council. 

Proposed changes 

According to Switzerland’s peak optician body, 4 in 5 Swiss wear glasses or contact lenses at some point. 

It’s no surprise that statistics repository, Statista, projects the Swiss eyewear industry to be worth €1.37 billion by 2028. 

Currently, glasses and contact lenses are covered for up to 180 francs for children until age eighteen, if they are proscribed by a doctor.

Adults can also claim money back for glasses and contact lenses – however, they must be suffering from one of a short list of specific conditions such as keratoconus – where the cornea is distorted – or severe myopia, otherwise known as near-sightedness.

They must also have been specifically prescribed them by a doctor or optometrist. 

Otherwise, supplemental optical insurance must be purchased in Switzerland to ensure you can recoup the cost. 

Under the Green Party proposal, glasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids would be covered, regardless of age. 

Rising premiums prompt opposition 

Not everybody agrees with the proposal. 

The right-wing SVP has already spoken out against it, with Federal Councillor Diana Gutjahr arguing: “If we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

A spokesman for the the health insurance advocacy group Santesuisse, Matthias Müller, echoed Gutjahr, claiming that insurance constitutes “financing for extraordinary events such as illness.”

“If almost everyone benefits from a certain service, it is no longer an insurance benefit.”

A date for the vote has yet to be announced. 

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