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¨ Concern about the increasing number of cases is growing in Switzerland. The canton of Geneva, particularly affected, is tightening the screws: the Minister of Health wanted to go even further.
The situation is particularly dire in Geneva, but masks are not yet required in public spaces.
The number of Covid-19 cases is skyrocketing in Switzerland. On Wednesday, the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) reported 2,823 new infections with the corona virus. That’s more than double that of the day before. The positivity rate was 13.6 percent. At the same time, the authorities registered eight deaths and 57 hospital admissions.
Furthermore, Guy Parmelin is the first member of the state government to be quarantined. The spokesman for the Federal Council, André Simonazzi, confirmed to the media on Wednesday that a person from the professional environment of the Minister of Economy had tested positive for the corona virus. Parmelin himself tested negative on Tuesday. The 60-year-old SVP politician currently does business from home. He participated in the Federal Council meeting on Wednesday via video.
The Federal Council decided on Wednesday not to take further action to contain the coronavirus. However, the federal government does not allow the 10,000 service providers to take their weekend vacation in the last two weeks of recruiting school. The goal is to ensure that all members of the military can return home healthy.
Meanwhile, the canton of Zurich has tightened its protection measures. In Zurich, it is now mandatory to wear a mask in all restaurants and bars, as well as in clubs, discos and dance halls where people don’t just eat and drink while sitting. Service personnel must also wear masks. Finally, for events with more than 30 people inside, it is now mandatory to wear a mask if minimum distances cannot be maintained. The governing council decided to toughen the rules so as not to overload contact tracing.
No more than 15 people
The canton of Geneva is a particular focus, as with the first Corona wave. Nowhere in Switzerland have so many people been infected with the virus in proportion as in the westernmost tip of Switzerland; During the last two weeks, according to figures from BAG, 370 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed per 100,000 inhabitants. The Swiss average is 148 cases.
In this context, the Geneva authorities are under pressure to act, despite taking extensive measures months ago: the canton was the first to close nightclubs at the end of July. What the cantonal government decided on Wednesday goes much further.
Groups of more than 15 people cannot meet in public spaces. Events with more participants can be approved if the organizers can present a protection concept. The minimum distance of 1.5 meters between all persons must be maintained regardless of group size, and a mask requirement applies in closed but publicly accessible rooms. The measures recall the rules that were applied throughout Switzerland during the extraordinary situation. At the time, however, the meeting limit for the public space was just five people. Political events are exempt from the ban in Geneva: a demonstration by public sector employees who oppose the austerity measures will take place on Thursday.
Dreaded surveillance state
Geneva is also tightening the screws for private occasions, but not as much as expected and feared. Events of more than a hundred people have recently been banned. This applies to weddings, for example, where the authorities promise goodwill for planned celebrations until the end of the weekend. For private events between 15 and 100 participants, organizers must be able to guarantee that a mask is required for the entire duration, except when the guests are seated. In addition, the organizers should be able to collect the contact details of everyone present and, if necessary, provide them to the authorities. According to the Minister of Health, Mauro Poggia, buses of up to 30,000 francs can be issued. For events with less than 15 people, the common rules of hygiene and distance apply “only”.
If you compare the measures that have now been taken with the statements made by State Councilor Poggia on Friday night on the “Tagesschau” of French-speaking Swiss television, you rub your eyes in astonishment. At the time, the Minister of Health promised an obligation to advertise for small-scale private events and threatened to conduct on-site inspections. The clamor was great during the weekend: practically all the political parties criticized the plans as disproportionate, there was talk of the surveillance state that wanted to put its nose in the most intimate private sphere of the citizens.
It remains to be seen whether the poggia, washed down with water, simply wanted to terrorize the population to encourage additional discipline, or whether it was rejected by colleagues in the government. At Wednesday’s press conference, he declined to comment. District President Antonio Hodgers said it was normal for the health minister to have a slightly different opinion.
From a purely epidemiological point of view, the assembly limit should also be set at five people in a private setting, according to Hodgers. However, a government must allow all circumstances, including economic and social aspects, as well as civil liberties, to flow into the assessment of the situation. In addition, it is essential that the population support the measures. That is why they are now treading “a good middle ground”.
