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HEALTH

Coronavirus: Masks required on all planes from Saturday

The Swiss government has announced masks will be required on all planes - regardless if they are commercial, private or charter - from Saturday.

Published: 12 August 2020 16:12 CEST
Coronavirus: Masks required on all planes from Saturday
A Lufthansa flight attendant with a mask on. Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP

The requirement will apply from Saturday, August 15th. 

Currently masks are required on board most commercial airliners, however this has been a policy put in place by the airline companies rather than as a requirement of the Swiss government. 

Swiss airlines, for instance, put in place a compulsory mask requirement on July 6th. 

Now, passengers on all aircraft flying within, taking off from or landing in Switzerland will be required to wear masks – mirroring similar rules on all modes of public transport across the country. 

Coronavirus: What can passengers expect at Swiss airports and on planes? 

As for face protections on ground level, Geneva Airport has put in place a mask requirement on its premises. 

Geneva: Face masks now compulsory in shops and airport 

Some cantons, including Geneva, Jura and Vaud have required masks in supermarkets and shops, however this has not been made uniform federally. 

 

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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.

Published: 20 June 2024 15:04 CEST
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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