Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

UPDATE: How Switzerland’s gyms can reopen on May 11th after coronavirus lockdown

Switzerland’s gyms and fitness centres will be allowed to open again from May 11th, provided they comply with stringent social distancing and hygiene requirements.

Published: 30 April 2020 17:26 CEST
UPDATE: How Switzerland's gyms can reopen on May 11th after coronavirus lockdown
Photo: Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

Gyms will again be allowed to open in Switzerland from May 11th, the government announced on Wednesday. 

However, in order to do so, a strict set of social distancing measures will need to be observed. 

READ: Switzerland rolls back lockdown earlier than expected

Gyms, yoga centres and swimming pools may open again. Recreational sports and training for professional/elite sports will also again be allowed to take place from May 11th. 

READ: Switzerland to relax coronavirus lockdown for professional and recreational sport

Measures to be followed

In order for the facilities to be allowed to open again, they must present a “protection concept” to authorities. 

A maximum of one person per ten square metres will apply in every type of fitness facility. 

Devices must be disinfected after every use. 

Although not a requirement if distancing can be achieved through other means, one suggestion was to ensure every second device remains unused. 

There will however be no mask requirements put in place by the government. 

As reported in Watson on April 30th, the changes are expected to be expensive and significant, discouraging many gyms from doing so. 

Fitness centres present reopening plan

On April 15th, the Swiss Fitness and Health Centre Federation presented a set of standards its members would follow in order to reopen in the first wave of lockdown relaxations on April 27th. 

While that plan wasn't approved, it's expected many of the suggestions from the original plan will be carried over when they are permitted to open again on May 11th as part of each gym's protection concept.

The SFGV said that the regular social distancing measures would be adhered to, including no handshakes, two metres distance between participants, regular hand washing and coughing into one’s elbow. 

In addition, a maximum of ten people will be allowed per everyone 100 square metres. Every second cardio machine will be closed in order to ensure distance. 

Gym workers will police all fitness centres to ensure distancing requirements are maintained. They will also be required to clean down machines regularly, while using machines without towels will not be permitted. 

No exercises, activities or classes will be allowed which involve body contact, while markings will be made at entry points to ensure people do not come within two metres of each other. 

In changing rooms, every second shower and locker will be closed.

 

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

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS