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MASKS

Reader question: Do I still need to wear a mask at work in Switzerland?

Switzerland has relaxed mask rules and dropped the requirement to work from home. What does this mean in offices and other workplaces?

Published: 24 June 2021 10:38 CEST
Reader question: Do I still need to wear a mask at work in Switzerland?
Masks will no longer be required in the office in Switzerland - although it is ultimately up to the employer. Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

On Wednesday June 23rd, the Swiss government announced that a widespread array of Covid restrictions would be relaxed from June 26th. 

‘Quite brave’: Switzerland goes further than expected in new easing of Covid rules

This includes rules for shops, leisure activities, restaurants and nightclubs.

Working from home will no longer be mandatory, although the government still recommends it wherever possible. 

Mask rules will also be significantly relaxed in outdoor areas and in some indoor areas. 

From June 26th, masks will no longer be required outdoors in bus stops, train stations, leisure facilities, on ship decks and on chair lifts. 

In addition, masks will also no longer be required in the workplace, with employers free to decide whether masks should be worn or not based on employers’ duty to ensure their staff are sufficiently protected against the virus.

According to the official government regulation: “Employers still have a duty to ensure that staff are protected, but are free to decide where and when masks should be worn.”

However, mask rules will remain in place where staff or state officials interact with customers or members of the public indoors, i.e. in supermarkets, retail outlets, banks and restaurants. 

Staff do not need to wear masks outdoors. 

The requirement of a mask indoors will change however if a venue or event organiser ensures everyone in attendance has a valid Covid health certificate.

If so, masks do not need to be worn – even by staff (provided of course they also have Covid certificates). 

READ MORE: What will Switzerland’s Covid-19 pass allow you to do?

At a federal level masks will also no longer be required in grammar schools, technical secondary schools and vocational schools.

However, the Federal Council indicated that some cantons may continue the existing mask rules in educational institutions.

The changes are a result of improvements in the epidemiological situation, with Covid infection rates falling dramatically across Switzerland in recent weeks.

For more information on the specific rules for masks and where they must be worn, please click here for official government rules. 

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For members

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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