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Coronavirus: Swiss nightclubs to reopen in June – but revellers must keep two metres apart

The Swiss government is expected to announce on Wednesday afternoon that nightclubs will again be allowed to open across the country on June 8th. Patrons will however be asked to keep two metres from each other at all times.

Published: 27 May 2020 11:12 CEST

Coronavirus: Swiss nightclubs to reopen in June – but revellers must keep two metres apart

A disco ball at a nightclub in Satigny, near Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

As reported by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset is expected to announce on Wednesday afternoon that the next round of lockdown relaxations, set to take place on June 8th, will include discos and nightclubs.

Although the risk of transmitting the coronavirus would appear high in nightclubs, the Swiss government is expected to require establishments to adhere to a range of distancing and hygiene rules.

READ: What will and won't be allowed to open in Switzerland on June 8th

This is set to include a maximum of 300 people at each establishment, while the NZZ reports that patrons will also be expected to keep two metres apart at all times.

The maximum of 300 is set to be the same for protests, private events, summer camps and sporting events.

Groups of up to 30 will be again allowed to meet without adhering to distance requirements.

The surprising move comes amid reports that sporting events will again be allowed to have spectators from July 1st, albeit up to a maximum of 1,000 people.

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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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