SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

Switzerland to relax coronavirus lockdown for professional and recreational sport

Professional and grassroots sport will again be allowed in Switzerland, the Federal Council has announced on Wednesday.

Switzerland to relax coronavirus lockdown for professional and recreational sport
A disused basketball court in Gland, Switzerland. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced a further loosening to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. 

As of May 11th, elite team training as well as grassroots sport in groups of five or fewer would again be allowed across the country. 

Gyms will also be allowed to open again from May 11th, provided they can illustrate that they are complying with the social distancing restrictions as laid out by the government. 

How and when will Switzerland's coronavirus border controls be relaxed?

The authorities also gave the go ahead to professional sporting competitions, with Switzerland’s Super League again allowed from June 8th. 

This means that the country’s top-flight football competition will be back after only a three-month break. 

The games will however take place in front of empty stadiums, with the government having already banned events with 1,000 or more people until the end of August. 

Health Minister Alain Berset said during the press conference that the ban on large-scale events would be reconsidered at a Federal Council meeting on May 27th. 

While grassroots sport will be allowed from May 11th only with groups of up to five, elite and professional sporting competitions will be allowed to begin full training on the same date. 

When doing so however these sports will need to ensure that they comply with hygiene requirements as handed down by Swiss authorities. 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS