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The Zurich governing council is reacting to the growing number of infections by requiring a mask. The most important questions and answers.
This applies from Thursday, August 27:
- Mask requirement in stores, shopping malls and markets (indoor). It does not apply at Zurich train stations and airport, except in shops.
- Restaurants are required to record the contact details of their guests.
- No more than 300 people are allowed in all indoor and outdoor areas of restaurants, bars, and clubs; A maximum of 100 people can stay in an indoor area, as long as the consumption is not exclusively seated. The areas must be clearly separated.
- A maximum of 100 people is allowed for indoor events if protective measures (masks, minimum distance, etc.) are not possible.
The number of cases in the Canton of Zurich is increasing rapidly, especially among people aged 20 to 40. On Wednesday (August 26) the canton registered 118 new infections in one day. Most of them referred to younger people. In contrast, infections in older people have long been stagnant at a low level.
According to the Canton of Zurich health department, infection chains can still be traced with higher capacities. More than 5,000 people are currently in quarantine in the canton of Zurich. The critical threshold to cover contact tracing is 100 newly infected people per day.
At Monday’s press conference, Health Director Natalie Rickli (svp.) Emphasized that contact tracing was not a sufficient measure. Young people, in particular, typically have forty or more contacts, generating thousands of phone calls every day. Therefore, hygiene measures and keeping your distance are still important.
Until now, in the canton of Zurich, only a mask was required on public transport. Anyone who’s been to the city in recent weeks noticed little of the pandemic.
It’s no secret that canton doctor Christiane Meier and health director Natalie Rickli (svp.) Suggested more measures earlier. The cities of Zurich and Winterthur are also pressing. In an interview with “NZZ am Sonntag”, the mayor of Zurich, Corine Mauch (sp.), Said that Zurich is in a worrying situation. Without further action, things could spiral out of control in a few days.
Despite the growing number of cases, the entire governing council initially opposed the new regulations. Justice Director Jacqueline Fehr (sp.) Spoke out in a blog post openly critical of the new measures and instead called on the people of Zurich to take responsibility.
At Monday’s press conference, Rickli said politicians must take action if personal responsibility no longer works. Do not wait for the numbers in hospitals to increase as well. Everything possible must be done so that the virus no longer enters homes.
The district president, Silvia Steiner (cvp.), Said that new measures were indicated due to the rapid increase in numbers. The governing council wants to prevent the canton of Zurich from becoming a risk zone. The government has the situation under control, but wants to take preventive measures.
Canton doctor Christiane Meier said a restriction on the number of people in clubs and bars was advisable, as the virus spreads rapidly, especially among young people. Therefore, you have to start where they are.
Health Director Natalie Rickli (svp.) And District President Silvia Steiner (cvp.) Announced new measures Monday.
The governing council has waived a general mask requirement in public buildings. For example, the inhabitants of Zurich do not have to wear respiratory protection at train stations or in the airport departure lounge. However, some institutions have already imposed a mask requirement.
At the University and at the ETH Zurich, the mask is compulsory in the open-access indoor areas (at the ETH from 24 August, at the UZH from 1 September). The Zurich University of Applied Sciences is also introducing a corresponding regulation.
The central library has also introduced a mask requirement. As of September 1, this applies to all indoor public access spaces. In addition, the contact details of all visitors are now recorded. Check-in and check-out is done with the library card. Visiting the special collections now requires online registration.
Unlike other cantonal schools, the Zurich grammar schools do not require the use of masks in class. Teens are only required to wear a mask during school hours during which distance cannot be maintained and in the hallways of school buildings.
The rule is not well received by everyone. As “20 Minuten” reports, pupils at the Zürcher Oberland canton school criticize the requirement to wear a mask on an Instagram account. One of the articles reads: “Anyone forcing healthy children to wear a mask is abusing, humiliating, hurting and stigmatizing them.” Another contribution draws attention to Corona’s critics rally next Saturday.
Children up to 12 years old, analogous to the rules of public transport, are exempt from the mask requirement.
People who can show that they cannot use respiratory protection for special reasons, mainly medical, do not have to wear a mask either.
Employees in stores are exempt from the mask requirement as long as they are protected by a physical partition such as a Plexiglas panel.
Milan Prenosil, president of the Zurich City Association, is basically positive about the mask requirement. “I was waiting for the decision, clear instructions are better than the previous cacophony,” he says when asked by NZZ. A second block should be avoided. On the other hand, experience abroad has shown that the requirement for a mask reduces customer frequency by as much as 10 percent. Since the end of the shutdown, these have yet to be recovered in Zurich stores and are still 20 to 30 percent lower than before the pandemic. For Prenosil, therefore, it is clear: “With the mask requirement, the distance rule becomes obsolete, we need customers to go back to the stores.”
With the mask requirement, the governing council is exceeding the target, the Canton of Zurich Association of SMEs and Commerce (KGV) writes in a statement. The decision is “largely incomprehensible and untenable.” The measures must be proportionate and must not cause any additional damage to the economy. With its decision, the governing council weighed health policy more than economic policy. Therefore, the KGV asks the governing council to provide financial support to those affected, especially in the events and events industry.
The main distributor Migros is also skeptical. “We are convinced that the measure would not actually be necessary,” spokesman Marcel Schlatter told “Tages-Anzeiger.” Protection concepts are sufficient. Migros still wants to enforce the mask requirement.
The Zurich Bar and Club Commission (BCK) announced on Wednesday afternoon a mask requirement at clubs for events with more than 100 people. The masks are available to guests on-site, but they can bring them with them, according to the statement. In the case of unruly guests, as in public transport or sales, the police are called in to enforce them.
However, as it became known on Thursday, the canton considers the action of the clubs inadmissible. Club interiors are limited to 100 people, regardless of whether or not they are wearing masks. Up to 300 people can participate in events with a corresponding protection concept. However, a different rule applies to clubs. The relevant ordinance clearly stipulates that they receive the same treatment as catering establishments. “In the interiors of hospitality establishments, including bars, where consumption is not exclusively based, as well as in discos, clubs and dance halls, a maximum of 100 people can be present at the same time per interior” says the ordinance. 300 people are allowed inside and outside at the same time.
Government spokesman Andreas Melchior says compliance with the requirements will be checked. Since the situation is new, it will act with a sense of proportion. In case of infringement, the governor’s office could impose a fine of up to 10,000 francs. The health department or financial office might even order the club closed.
On Friday, the BCK responded with another message asking clubs not to host events with more than 100 guests after all, not even if they were wearing a hygiene mask. The communiqué from the canton and the “threat from the police” generated great uncertainty among the club’s owners.
The recommendation to refrain from events with more than 100 guests does not change the fact that the BCK continues to take the position that a club night is nothing more than an event. Therefore, it should be possible to host more than 100 guests with a mandatory mask. In the press release, the association also complains about poor communication from the canton. “Even if the virus sets the agenda, this is not a business and culture friendly approach.”
Most clubs would have planned the show weeks in advance, organized staff, sold tickets, and made arrangements with artists. “Once again, companies are left with costs without knowing if they will ever receive financial support.” Therefore, the association asks the canton to hold a constructive debate next week to find solutions.
In late July, BCK’s managing director Alexander Bücheli had said that without government support, half of Zurich’s clubs would have to close in the autumn. “Businesses are still waiting for the money promised in March for compensation from cultural enterprises,” he said in a statement. The BCK demanded that support be expanded in the face of the most drastic measures. “Now it needs additional financial support from the canton and city of Zurich to ensure cultural diversity and employment.”
After a case of a super spreader at a club in Zurich, protection concepts were reinforced at the end of June. Since then, they have had to record and verify the contact details of the visitors. Another requirement to enter is the use of the contact tracing application of the Federal Office of Public Health.
The Gastro Zürich-City catering association is relieved by the “manageable changes”. President Urs Pfäffli says in the “Tages-Anzeiger” that the registration requirement is easy to manage. Since the new restriction on the number of guests only affects bars and restaurants without a fixed allocation of seats, the individual situation of companies is taken into account.
The Federal Council has relaxed the rules for important events. Starting October 1, events with more than 1000 people are possible again. Cantons are responsible for developing protection concepts. Zurich’s governing council wants to comment on this in September.
In the canton of Basel-Stadt, the masks must be worn in shops, shopping centers, restaurants, bars and clubs from Monday, August 24. The canton of Neuchâtel has also introduced a mask requirement for shops. In the cantons of Vaud, Geneva and Jura, there has been a corresponding regulation for some time.
