Switzerland is one of the ten countries most affected by the coronavirus worldwide, with more than 200 current cases and one confirmed death. Here is an overview of the situation and official response.
What’s the current situation in Switzerland?
end of infobox
On Friday the government announced a shift of focus to protect the old and the unwell.
Figures rose on Saturday, with the Federal Office of Public Health saying there were 228 diagnosed cases. On Thursday, aggregated figures from federal and cantonal authorities showed over 100 positive cases of coronavirus throughout the country. Authorities in canton Vaud also confirmed that a 74-year-old woman, who had been hospitalised in Lausanne, had died as a result of the disease – the first casualty in the country.
Discrepancies in reported cases can arise because federal authorities report the number of cases that tested positive at a central lab in Geneva, while cases reported by the cantons have not necessarily been confirmed by the central lab.
“The situation is serious and becoming more so, but there is no reason to panic,” Daniel Koch of the health office told a news conference in Bern on Wednesday.
Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the government has categorised the situation in the country as “special”, under the terms of the Epidemics Act. This allows the authorities to take over certain powers from the 26 cantons and to order measures, including bans on events. The application of these legal provisions is a first for Switzerland.
new map
map
Specifically, the government has banned all major events with more than 1,000 people until at least March 15, 2020. Events of over 150 in principle also need to get the go-ahead from cantonal authorities.
Major cancelled events include the Geneva International Motor Show, the Baselworld watch fair, and the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva. All top-flight Swiss football and ice-hockey games have also been called off, as have numerous local social and cultural events.
What’s the risk of becoming infected with the new coronavirus in Switzerland?
end of infobox
Meanwhile, the risk of contracting the new coronavirus in Switzerland is currently moderate, according to the Health Officeexternal link.
However, the number of cases still puts Switzerland among the ten countries most affected by Covid-19 globally. Current figures from around the world can be found hereexternal link.
Advice regarding the usage of hankies and the practice of handshakes was published in all major newspapers.
In order to prevent the spread of the virus as much as possible, those affected have been isolated. Anyone who has been in close contact with a sick person, i.e. less than two metres away for more than 15 minutes, must also remain in quarantine for two weeks.
Authorities also recommend a certain amount of “social distancing” – that is, when standing in a queue, for example, or attending a meeting, to keep a certain distance away from those around you.
Recommendations for the world of work have also been issued, such as not travelling at peak commuting times and being able to work from home when possible.
Those worried about a possible case are advised to phone the doctor’s office first rather than showing up in person. The cost of a test (CHF180) will be reimbursed by basic health insurance as of Wednesday March 4, the health office announced.
What’s the situation for Swiss citizens living abroad? Are repatriations being carried out?
end of infobox
Although the return of some citizens from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where Covid-19 first appeared, has been organised, further such actions are not currently planned according to the foreign ministry.
“Fortunately, no repatriations need to be planned or carried out at present,” said Hans-Peter Lenz, head of the ministry's crisis management centre.
All Swiss representations abroad are accessible to Swiss citizens. The representations, and the Helpline of the ministryexternal link, have answered hundreds of enquiries from concerned citizens in recent days.
Under the Swiss Abroad Actexternal link, Swiss nationals living abroad cannot claim the right to an organised departure from a crisis area. Hans-Peter Lenz stressed that the foreign ministry provides Swiss nationals abroad with assistance in crisis situations to the extent possible.
The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) cancelled the meeting of the Council of the Swiss Abroad in the Swiss capital Bern scheduled for March 14 at short notice. Two risk factors and the possibility of being of quarantined were behind the decision.
“The foreign ministry has made it clear to us that the current trend is to cancel events. It has drawn our attention to the international component of the Council of the Swiss Abroad and the relatively high average age of the delegates,” says the OSA management, explaining this measure.
What do you need to consider when travelling to and staying in Switzerland?
end of infobox
The World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet imposed any travel restrictions. It is advisable to check when travelling to events to see if they are still taking place, as major events have been banned and cantons and cities can also ban smaller events.
No special measures are currently planned at a national level for schools, day-care centres, homes and other educational or care institutions. However, some local or cantonal authorities have taken precautions, limiting access.
The government has ruled out closing the borders for the time being. Swiss International Airlines has reduced the number of flights to areas with a particular risk of infection, including cancelling all flights to Tel Aviv in Israel between Sunday 8 March and Saturday 28 March.
On Wednesday, Israel ordered travellers arriving from Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain and Austria to go into home quarantine, as it had already done for those returning from Italy, China and Singapore.
What impact will the spread of the disease have on the Swiss economy?
end of infobox
In the medium term, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is concerned about capital markets and the interruption of supply chains for Swiss industry and international corporations based in Switzerland.
In the short term, it does not yet expect any economic damage and has even spoken of a certain boost to the economy due to panic buying. However, on Tuesday the BAK economic institute revised its growth forecast downwards for the first six months to 1.3%, compared to 1.5% previously.
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin hosted a crisis summit on the coronavirus on Thursday to discuss the impact of the virus with representatives of the business community, the trade unions and the cantons. Speaking to media afterwards, Parmelin said all options were on the table, but he stopped short of revealing any concrete measures related to the compensation of business or cultural events affected.
According to SECO, companies are currently allowed to apply for part-time unemployment for employees to compensate for a drop in productivity. In addition, an operating manual for pandemics is available to companies.
The government is not obliged to underwrite financial losses caused by the ban on major events; the principle of force majeure applies.
Where can I find further information on the implications of Covid-19?
end of infobox
swissinfo.ch is keeping this story updated daily with numbers of confirmed cases, as well as any new significant measures taken by the federal authorities. Further sources, which we also use, and which may be useful to readers, include:
The World Health Organization (WHO)external link: information on the origins and nature of Covid-19, as well as the global situation (which the WHO currently labels an “epidemic”) and travel advice
The Swiss foreign ministryexternal link: information in French, German, and Italian about the situation regarding foreign travel and the steps to be followed by Swiss citizens going abroad
Johns Hopkins Universityexternal link: a global map that tracks the number of cases and fatalities by country; figures may be slightly different to swissinfo.ch’s map, above, due to time lags and/or different methods of defining “confirmed” cases
