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COVID-19

Switzerland to open indoor restaurants and allow larger events by end May

Switzerland on Wednesday decided it will wind back more coronavirus restrictions - including allowing restaurants to serve food indoors, letting larger events take place and exempting vaccinated people from quarantine - from May 31st.

Published: 12 May 2021 18:16 CEST
Switzerland to open indoor restaurants and allow larger events by end May

The openings will only go ahead under the proviso that Switzerland’s coronavirus numbers remain under control until May 26th, when the decision will become formalised. 

The changes will come into effect on May 31st. 

Several of the current coronavirus measures will be relaxed. 

Restaurants will be allowed to serve people indoors at tables of up to four people. 

The quarantine for those already vaccinated will also be dropped. People who have recovered from COVID and those who have been vaccinated will be exempt from contact and travel quarantine.

The number of people allowed to gather indoors will increase from 50 to 100 people, while the cap on outdoor gatherings will increase from 100 to 300 people. 

A maximum of 30 people rather than 15 will be allowed to participate in outdoor sports. 

The decision was made on the basis of a three-phase re-opening plan that the government outlined in April.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What is Switzerland’s three-phase plan for ending Covid-19 restrictions?

Indoor sports without a mask will be capped at 15 people in the same hall. 

Contact sports such as judo or wrestling are only allowed indoors without a mask in constant groups of four people.

The area requirement for ‘quiet’ indoor sports (e.g. yoga) will be adjusted from 15 to 10 square meters per person.

EXPLAINED: What are Switzerland’s current coronavirus measures?

Wellness centres and thermal baths will again be allowed to open, however only one person per 15 square metres will be allowed. 

Working from home, currently a requirement under Swiss law, will again become recommended rather than required. 

The cap on university lectures of 50 students will also be scrapped, provided the universities put in place effective contact tracing solutions. 

‘The openings have not had a negative impact on the pandemic’

The Federal Council said the further openings could take place due to the public’s compliance with the existing measures. 

“The population is implementing the protective measures well, the opening step of April 19, 2021 has so far not had a negative impact on the development of the epidemic.”

READ MORE:  ANALYSIS: Why are Switzerland’s coronavirus numbers falling so sharply?

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COVID-19

What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

Coronavirus infections are on the rise again, with Swiss health officials and epidemiologists expressing concern over the possible evolution of the disease.

Published: 15 November 2023 15:32 CET
What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

While the worst of the Covid pandemic is long over, and experts don’t expect it to re-emerge with the same strength and health consequences as it had in 2020, new cases have been reported in the past weeks.

Wastewater analysis, one of the means employed by health officials to measure the presence of coronavirus, indicates a viral load that is at least five times higher than usual, with values “now almost as high as in some previous Omicron-related waves,” Christoph Ort, spokesperson for Eawag Institute, which traces Covid viruses in 14 wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland, told the media.

What does this mean?

According to Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the most common sub-variant in Switzerland right now is the highly transmissible XBB, also known as ‘Kraken.’

The Eris and Pirola variants, which circulated in the summer and early fall are also still present.

While none is nearly as dangerous (at least for most people) as the early Alpha and Delta viruses, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the early stages of the pandemic, there is a reason for concern nevertheless.

“It’s a start of a small wave,” said Rudolf Hauri, head of the Cantonal Doctors’ Association.

“More people are being admitted to hospitals again with, or because of, coronavirus. There are also new cases in intensive care units, but these are generally people with a medical history.”

Should you be worried?
 
While the number of people with serious Covid-related complications is not expected to be as high as previously, the rise in the number of infections should not be trivialised either, infectious disease specialists say.
 
This is especially important for people in the high-risk category — those over 65 or suffering from chronic illnesses — who can get quite sick if infected with the new variants, according to FOPH.
 
This is all the more important as the flu season is about to begin in Switzerland as well, and the confluence of both illnesses, plus other respiratory viruses that typically circulate during the winter, can be very risky.
 
What can you do to protect yourself?
 
Other than adopting the same protective measures as those during the pandemic — that is, washing hands, avoiding close contacts and crowded spaces, and wearing masks where needed — health officials also recommend top-up shots, for both Covid and flu.

READ ALSO: Who should get top-up Covid and flu jabs in Switzerland?

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