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HEALTH

Here’s how large events will look in Switzerland from October 2020

Events with more than 1,000 people will be allowed in Switzerland again from October pursuant to a strict set of rules.

Published: 2 September 2020 18:29 CEST
Updated: 3 September 2020 11:26 CEST
Here’s how large events will look in Switzerland from October 2020
A pre-coronavirus crowd at a Young Boys Bern game. Photo: STEFAN WERMUTH / AFP

Banned since the start of the pandemic, events with more than 1,000 people will again be allowed to take place in Switzerland from October 1st. 

In a meeting with cantonal officials on Wednesday, the Federal Council laid out the requirements that event organisers must adhere to if they are to be allowed to host events again. 

All events require a ‘protection concept’, which lays out how the requirements will be adhered to. 

All patrons must be seated at events, except for outdoor events such as skiing or cycling races. 

The Swiss government's new rules for events from October 1st (in German). Image: FOPH/CH

At football and ice hockey games, all attendees must wear masks. Stadiums may be filled only to a maximum of two-thirds of overall capacity. 

Away fans will not be allowed to attend. 

Contact tracing must be implemented at all events. 

While health authorities initially flagged an alcohol ban at all major events, this was walked back on Wednesday. 

Instead, the Federal Council on Wednesday decided that alcohol can be sold at large events as long as patrons can stick to social distancing rules.

While the above are federal minimums, cantons are free to put in place additional restrictions – including banning alcohol or revoking permits from event organisers. 

 

 

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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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