Curfew, Christmas markets and a gift for the “showcase cantons”: the most important responses to the new Federal Council regulations – Switzerland

“We are in an extremely critical situation,” Federal President Simonetta Sommaruga said at the start of the press conference on Friday. The Federal Council is concerned about the return to the exponential growth of new Covid infections. This development takes hospitals and especially health personnel “to the limit”. Additional measures are needed to control the virus.

Therefore, the Federal Council has decided on a series of new measures as part of the Covid Ordinance. The measure was announced Tuesday. The new rules apply to all of Switzerland. They go into effect on Saturday at midnight and are provisionally effective until January 22, 2021.

1. curfew for gastronomy

Restaurants and bars close at 7 pm This brings forward the current curfew across Switzerland by four hours from 11 pm On the other hand, contrary to what it announced on Tuesday, the Federal Council will not close restaurants on Sunday.

Take-out and delivery services are still allowed after 7 p.m. Hotel restaurants can stay open until 11 p.m., but only for hotel guests. On December 24, the curfew will run until 1 a.m., also on New Years Eve on December 31. The restaurants in Basel-Stadt and Graubünden, among others, are currently completely closed. These more far-reaching cantonal regulations remain in effect.

2. Shops and markets must close at night and on Sundays

The recently reduced opening hours also apply to shops and open-air markets. They also have to close at 7pm. Unlike gastronomy, they also have to stay on Sundays. The same applies to post offices, banks, and other service providers such as hair salons. Only pharmacies can be open at night and on Sundays. Gas stations can still remain open 24 hours. However, at night and on Sundays, they are only allowed to sell fuel. Because the curfew also applies to gas station stores.

3. curfew for cultural venues and sports and leisure facilities

The same rules as for shops apply to sports and leisure facilities. Museums, galleries, cinemas, zoos, casinos, and gyms, for example, are closed after 7 p.m. and on Sundays. This does not apply to horse riding trails or ski areas or other outdoor sports facilities. There is also no curfew for the sports facilities of the professional leagues or for competitions and training for members of national teams.

4. Virtually all public events are prohibited

Public events are generally prohibited from Saturday. This includes amateur sports competitions, concerts, or film screenings. Professional cultural and sporting events without an audience, as well as political rallies with a maximum of 50 participants, are still possible. Religious services for up to 50 people and funerals with close family and friends are also allowed.

5. It is still possible to play sports and make music in small groups

Children under the age of 16 can still participate in cultural activities and play sports. However, competitions are prohibited. For adults, recreational sports are allowed up to a group size of five, contact sports are prohibited. If you want to carry out cultural activities in private, you can do it with a maximum of five, with masks and with enough distance.

6. Urgent recommendations for private events and home offices

There is a maximum limit of ten people for private meetings, including children. The Minister of Health, Alain Berset (SP), urged the population to “reduce the number of contacts as much as possible.” The Federal Council leaves the “urgent recommendation” that only members of two households meet in private. An “urgent recommendation” also applies to home offices.

7. The “emblematic cantons” can cancel the curfew

The curfew announced on Tuesday for catering and retail caused discontent, especially in French-speaking Switzerland. The cantons of western Switzerland have been able to reduce the number of cases with strict measures such as closing restaurants and shops. The Federal Council wants to “leave an open door” for the cantons, said Federal President Sommaruga.

Cantons can extend the curfew for shops and restaurants until 11 pm if their epidemiological situation allows it. To do this, three conditions must be met: sufficient capacity in healthcare and contact tracing, a new infection rate below the Swiss average, and a reproduction rate that remains consistently below 1 for one week. If this value is greater than 1 for three days, the relaxation should be reversed immediately. The cantons that decide to relax must inform the Confederation of this intention and coordinate with neighboring cantons.

8. If the situation worsens, the Federal Council will act quickly.

The Federal Council will meet for its next session on Friday. Until then, the Federal Council wants to agree with the cantons on a mechanism to tighten the measures in case the epidemiological situation deteriorates even further. “We want to be able to act quickly if necessary,” said Federal President Sommaruga. The next adjustment steps are not expected next Friday. But if the deterioration persists, more closures should be considered. We must have the help of the population to avoid a new confinement: “Those who do not adhere to the measures bring us closer to stricter measures,” warned Health Minister Berset.