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How Switzerland’s airports are stepping up the fight against coronavirus

From liberal use of disinfectant to harnessing the power of UV light, Switzerland’s airports are pulling out all the stops to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

Published: 23 July 2020 16:15 CEST

How Switzerland’s airports are stepping up the fight against coronavirus

A person stands next to a social distancing sign on the floor at the Geneva airport. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Although it has rebounded slightly since international travel restrictions were relaxed on June 15th, Switzerland’s airports remain absent of their usual hustle and bustle.

In order to reassure passengers that travel is safe, Zurich airport has installed disinfectant stations throughout its terminals, while also launching a ‘cleaning robot’.

In addition, all of the airports escalators will be equipped with ultraviolet light systems to disinfect handrails.

READ: ‘Anyone could be quarantined': Switzerland repeats advice not to travel abroad

The lamps eliminate bacteria and viruses immediately, but are installed under the escalators to ensure no contact with humans.

Geneva airport has said it is considering adopting a similar system, while Basel airport rejected the devices in favour of manual cleaning.

The lamps have already been installed throughout train stations in Germany.

In mid-May, passenger traffic at Zurich airport had decreased by 99 percent, the lowest levels of airport passenger traffic since 1952.

Of those passengers, an estimated nine out of every ten were flying within Switzerland.

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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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