Corona virus: Thousands queue for free food in Geneva

Queuing for hours for free food: “I never thought I’d experience something like this in Switzerland”

There are images that we generally only know about war zones: 2,500 people queue in Geneva for hours to get a sack of food. Also in Zurich, helpers distribute thousands of food rations for homeless people. Due to the Corona crisis, the situation is particularly serious for the Sans-Papiers.

Hard to believe: in rich Switzerland thousands of people have to queue for more than a kilometer due to the crown crisis to get a bag of staples like pasta, rice, canned tuna and oil (value of products: 20 Swiss francs).

This is what happened in Geneva on Saturday. 2,500 people in need, most of them paperless and migrants, flocked to the Vernets ice rink to deliver food, more than double the previous week. “We are used to these images of war zones. But I never thought I was going to experience something like this one day in Geneva, “says an employee of” Doctors Without Borders “about RTS, a television station in western Switzerland.

The crown crisis hits Sans-Papiers to the core: thousands of low-paid workers have lost their jobs as kitchen helpers or domestic workers overnight. They generally have no savings. And as illegal, now they fall on all social networks. Also in German-speaking Switzerland.

Large crowds also in Zurich

At Zurich Limmatplatz, people in need line up hundreds of meters every Wednesday to receive a bag of basic food. “We currently distribute 2000 servings of food per week. But we urgently need more money and food donations, ”Amine Diare of the Charter School tells Watson. He put the campaign on its feet and has since expanded to Aarau, Bern and Freiburg. Swiss Solidarity supports the project with CHF 25,000.

The crown crisis also affects the poorest. The hotline at the Sans Papiers Contact Point (SPAZ) in Zurich is working accordingly. «The need is great. Many of those affected simply have no more money and can no longer pay the rent and can hardly buy food anymore, “says Bea Schwager of SPAZ. Meanwhile, hundreds of affected people have received support from more than 230 households, for example by adding rental premiums or health insurance. “Unfortunately, we had to turn away many of those in need. We just don’t have enough capacity,” Schwager continued. We recommend these people go directly to food delivery points.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 paperless people live in the city of Zurich alone. Many work as janitors or childcare helpers. Or in the catering sector. “It is not entirely clear if they will get their job back after the shutdown ends. That’s another problem, “said Schwager.

The Salvation Army distributes cheap food to those in need at two locations in Zurich. In March, 50 people arrived at Ankerstrasse at lunchtime, now there are around 200. “People are having more and more trouble getting food. The need for food is great, “Salvation Army spokesman Philippe Steiner tells Watson.

The Salvation Army is also active in Geneva. “The city has had a problem with the many homeless people for a long time. This is now reaching a critical point due to Corona. Therefore, the Salvation Army had quartered emergency people like the Roma in a small hotel. “The emergency sleeping places are completely overloaded.”

The association “La caravane de solidarité” organizes the food tax in the Rhone city. An employee sounds the alarm: “Entire families live in food bags. People held on for a few weeks. But now they are at the end of their strength and need help.

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