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HEALTH

Switzerland: Ski World Cup’s Wengen Classic called off due to Covid

The skiing World Cup's prestigious event at Wengen, scheduled for this weekend, has been called off due to increasing Covid-19 cases locally, the Swiss regional authorities said Monday.

Published: 11 January 2021 18:08 CET
Switzerland: Ski World Cup's Wengen Classic called off due to Covid
A file photo of skiing at the Wengen Classic. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

The much-awaited Wengen weekend, a highlight on the men's World Cup calendar, usually unfolds in a carnival atmosphere surrounding its feared Lauberhorn downhill races.

In normal times, it is one of the world's best-attended winter sports events, attracting around 30,000 spectators.

However, Switzerland's Bern canton announced it had decided to reverse a previous decision and pull the licence due to surging Covid-19 infections in the local area.

Switzerland has seen coronavirus infection and death rates stagnate at a stubbornly high level, with the federal government set this week to announce that restrictions imposed due to the pandemic will be extended until the end of February.

“The situation in Wengen with the increasing number of coronavirus infections has prompted the Bern canton to overturn the decision announced yesterday to hold the Lauberhorn race,” the regional authority said in a statement.

READ MORE: What new coronavirus rules could Switzerland announce this week? 

“The canton is concerned about the dynamics in which the virus is spreading,” it added, pointing the finger at the new, more contagious mutation raging in Britain.

“The health and business administration have decided to withdraw the permit for the Lauberhorn races.

“It will not be possible to take all precautions so that the athletes and the support teams can be adequately protected in separate zones.”

The canton explained that in the village of Wengen, the virus had spread very quickly from almost no cases in mid-December to more than 60 since then.

“The people of Wengen are asked to stay at home whenever possible and to avoid contacts outside their own household,” the canton said.

The Lauberhorn downhill is the longest race on the World Cup circuit. Staged in the shadow of the Eiger and Jungfrau mountains, the races there have been traditionally held in January since 1930.

The race organising committee said in a statement that it “deeply regrets this decision, but can understand it.

“For over 90 years, the organisation here in Wengen has strived to hold competitions that are as safe as possible for the participating athletes, the teams, all guests present, as well as the local population,” it said.

“A safe execution is not possible under the current pandemic situation, according to the assessment of the experts.”

France's Alexis Pinturault leads the 2020-21 World Cup overall standings.

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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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