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People over 65 can resume their normal activities, Swiss health authorities insist

Switzerland's population of seniors, who have been advised to stay indoors to prevent coronavirus-related health complications, are now being told they can come out of confinement.

Published: 11 May 2020 12:58 CEST
People over 65 can resume their normal activities, Swiss health authorities insist
Older people can resume normal activities while taking precautionary measures. Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, which went into effect on March 16th, people over the age of 65 were urged to stay at home.

Health authorities said that seniors, and especially those within this age group who have pre-existing health conditions, are most at risk from Covid-19 complications.

But during the press conference on May 8th, Health Minister Alain Berset acknowledged that the diminishing rates of Covid-19 infections throughout the country now allow more flexibility to be granted to older people.

“The situation is not the same for a 66-year-old in good health as for a 75-year-old with preexisting and multiple serious illnesses”, Berset said.

“We have to be careful but pragmatic”, he added.

Berset stressed, however, that when seniors venture outside, “the rules of distance and hygiene must be respected”.

READ MORE: Switzerland rolls back coronavirus lockdown earlier than expected

The cantons are responsible for setting up recommendations for protective measures for the people over 65.

Vaud, for instance, has already published guidelines on Friday for seniors who want to resume their normal activities.

The overall directives, including distance and hygiene measures, are the same as for the general public. But the authorities say older people should take extra precautions in crowded places, such as face masks and frequent use of hand disinfectant.

Also, even though authorities have recently said that it is “safe” for grandparents to hug their grandkids under the age of 10, a longer contact between the generations — such as babysitting — is not recommended. 

While health care experts have been stressing the importance of keeping the elderly confined as long as possible, Swiss president Simonetta Sommaruga pointed out already in mid-April that the Federal Council was not planning to keep older people under lockdown for an indefinite period of time.

“It is not possible to completely cut these groups off from the outside world”, she said at the time. 

 

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Spain’s prosecutors file criminal complaint over virus care home death

Spanish prosecutors said Tuesday they have filed a criminal complaint against a Madrid care home doctor and its director over the Covid-related death of a resident, in the first such case in the capital region since the start of the pandemic

Published: 15 December 2020 15:49 CET
Spain's prosecutors file criminal complaint over virus care home death
Photo: AFP

Madrid's public prosecutor's office said the two women are suspected of manslaughter and denial of medical attention in relation to the death in March of a woman in her 80s who had just moved into the home.   

Madrid was one of the hardest-hit cities in Europe by the first wave of the pandemic, and the complaint is expected to be one of several alleging inadequate care at retirement homes during the period.

In a statement, the prosecutor's office said the doctor and the director of the home, who were not named, did not follow the protocol set up by the Madrid regional government for caring for residents during the pandemic.

The doctor “disregarded” the protocol and did not call a hospital about the woman, despite her worsening condition, until eight days after she began having breathing trouble.

“Despite her rapid transfer to hospital, she died the following day from cardiac arrest,” the statement said.

The care home's director “was aware of the patient's clinical situation (but) did nothing” to ensure she received health care during periods when the doctor was absent, notably on the weekend before her death, it added.   

Amnesty International warned earlier this month that conditions at elderly care homes in the Madrid region and in Catalonia remained “alarming” despite improvements.

In a sharply worded report, it said the “vast majority” of residents had not been properly cared for during the pandemic.

The measures put in place by both regions were “inefficient and inadequate” and violated the residents' rights, it said.   

Spain has been one of Europe's worst-hit countries, with the virus infecting more than 1.7 million people and causing over 48,000 deaths.

Close to half of that number are believed to be elderly people who died in homes, Amnesty said.

At the height of the first wave in March, Spanish soldiers helping to fight the pandemic found elderly patients in retirement homes abandoned and, in some cases, dead in their beds.

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