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Returning tourists fuel Zurich’s Covid case spike

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Zurich, Switzerland’s most populous canton. What’s the reason for the increase?

Published: 12 July 2021 15:11 CEST

Returning tourists fuel Zurich’s Covid case spike

Zurich Airport. Photo: AFP

The number of daily coronavirus cases has doubled in Switzerland in the past two weeks, sparking fears that a new coronavirus wave is emerging.

In Zurich, the impact of tourism on case numbers is clear. The number of cases in the canton has more than tripled in the past two weeks.

Almost one in two cases in the canton is detected among tourists, according to contact tracers in the canton.

This is especially those returning from Spain, but also from Greece.

As it stands, there are few restrictions on travel within the Schengen region, although negative tests and/or proof of vaccination or recovery may be needed.

EXPLAINED: How to use Switzerland’s Covid app when travelling in the EU

Most infections have been detected in young people, particularly in the 20-29 age group.

The fact that this age group has been hardest hit is perhaps not surprising, considering they have some of the lowest rates of vaccination.

While the increase in case numbers is a concern, it has not been accompanied by a rise in hospitalisations and deaths.

In fact, Switzerland has not seen a coronavirus death for over a week.

This is consistent with results in other nations which have seen a spike, such as Spain and the United Kingdom.

In these countries, while case numbers are on the rise, hospitalisations and deaths remain relatively low.

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Why a Swiss-EU deal could be bad news for train users in Switzerland

Bern and Brussels are negotiating various bilateral treaties during the current round of bilateral talks.

One of the topics under discussion is the inter-connected rail network — which sounds like an overall positive development for seamless cross-border travel.

However, Vincent Ducrot, head of national rail company SBB fears that such a deal would be detrimental to Swiss commuters, because it would mean international trains would have priority over Switzerland’s system.

What is it about?

Currently, priority is given to national traffic on Swiss territory.

But a new deal with the EU would mean that European law — and international train traffic — would take precedence.

The problem is that all the train paths in Switzerland are currently occupied, Ducrot said in an interview with Swiss media on Wednesday.

He cited the example of the Geneva-Paris route, on which several European companies would like to bid. But that would mean that SBB would lose out by having to remove an existing train to accommodate a new foreign one.

And there is more: the question of punctuality

The SBB has long had a problem with trains from Germany, as half of them arrive in Switzerland late, disrupting the carefully coordinated Swiss railway timetable.

“Another huge concern we have is that the level of punctuality of the international system is totally different from ours,” Ducrot said. “Delays therefore risk being imported into Switzerland.”

To ease the chaos, the SBB has to keep special trains on standby to replace delayed ICE trains on the Basel-Zurich route, and passengers travelling from Germany to Zurich often have to transfer onto Swiss trains in Basel.

“Today, if a German train arrives late in Basel, we stop it and send a [Swiss] reserve train instead,” Ducret said.

“But if we can no longer do this in the future, it would mean that the train in question is accumulating delays, but above all that it is putting the SBB system behind schedule.”

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