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HEALTH

‘Normal life is coming back’: Churches in Switzerland to open earlier than expected

Swiss places of worship will be able to reopen from May 28, the government announced Wednesday, to allow weddings, baptisms and other religious celebrations to resume.

“Normal life is coming back,” Health Minister Alain Berset said after the government brought the move forward by a week.

“Mass, worship, marriages, baptisms” and other events in places of worship will all be allowed to resume, he told a press conference.

READ: Tourism despite coronavirus: Swiss can holiday in Germany, France and Austria this summer

In recent weeks, some religious services have been held behind closed doors and broadcast online or on television. In Neuchatel, mass was celebrated online and portraits of parishioners were placed in the pews.

Switzerland stopped short of imposing strict confinement in measures introduced in mid-March aimed at stopping the spread of the new coronavirus.

READ: Can I visit my second home in Switzerland?

It has been gradually lifting its restrictions since barbers, florists, family doctors and hardware stores were allowed to reopen on April 27.

The rates of infection, hospitalisation and death have flattened off in recent weeks, according to the health ministry.

Abbot Vincent Marville stands in the central aisle of the Basilica of Neuchatel.  Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Contact tracing 

“Faith communities should be able to resume their common religious life,” the government said in a statement. “From May 28, all services and celebrations of all faiths will once again be permitted.

“The religious communities have one week to work out protection concepts and to ensure the tracing of possible chains of infection.”

Those organising religious gatherings will have to make a list of all attendees, including their name and telephone number.

If requested, they would then have to pass it on to the  authorities, to identify and inform anyone deemed at risk of being infected.

The list can be disposed of after 14 days.

The disease has infected more than 30,000 people and killed more than 1,600 in Switzerland, which has a population of around 8.5 million.

Primary schools, shops, restaurants and museums have reopened, although physical distancing and hygiene measures remain in force.

Next week, the government is due to reconsider its ban on gatherings of more than five people.

Secondary schools and universities are set to return from June 8.

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HEALTH

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

If you just moved to Switzerland (or even if you have lived here for a while), your learning curve about health-related matters in the country may be steep. These sites will help you find the information you need.

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

Staying healthy is probably one of your top priorities, but doing so in a foreign country is not easy.

That is why having some reliable resources that you can check out and follow will be helpful.

First: The Local

No, we are not doctors, but we have published a number of factual articles over the years about many aspects of healthcare in Switzerland that our readers find helpful.

You can find a compilation of these health-related stories here

Federal Office of Public Health 

Obviously, when it comes to matters of health, the Health Ministry has lots of information that will be relevant to you at one time or another.

Aside from matters of health policy (which is important for all residents of Switzerland), the site also has a regularly updated Infectious Diseases Dashboard to let you know what communicable illnesses are currently circulating in Switzerland — and how to avoid them.

It also provides age-specific health information and recommendations — for instance, for children and teenagers, as well as for the elderly.

Hospital websites

Individual hospitals in your area are good sources of information as well, and many of them are in English.

You can find there general health information, care and treatment options, online emergency room signup, new medical technologies being used, and other patient resources:

Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)

Vaud University Hospital (CHUV)

Zurich University Hospital

Basel University Hospital 

If you live in an area without a university medical centre, your local hospital is also a valuable source of health-related information.

Appointment booking platform

This website is especially useful for people who don’t yet have a doctor in Switzerland but need to set an appointment with one. 

It gives you an option of choosing a specialty and location, and then displays doctor’s names and addresses, background information about them, and which time slots they have available.

You can easily set up an appointment this way.

Your health insurer’s website

This may not be an intuitive choice for impartial information about healthcare but you may be surprised.

For instance, Sanitas insurance site has information about emergency care decisions, and how to void unnecessary medical treatments.

CSS has health information geared specifically to men and women.

Helsana talks about ways to combat stress and sleep problems.

These are just a few examples on what valuable tips you can find on your insurer’s website.

Websites devoted to specific medical conditions

If you seek information about a specific illness — such as treatment options in Switzerland — there are plenty of online resources for that as well.

For instance:

Heart and cardiovascular 

Diabetes 

Osteoporosis 

Mental illness 

General pain 

Other diseases 

Last but not least, while not related to health, these websites will also provide useful information for international residents:

The Swiss websites that can help you save money
 
The most useful website resources to help you get Swiss citizenship 
 
 

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