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Mandatory masks in nightclubs in four Swiss cantons from today

Masks will be made mandatory in nightclubs with more than 100 guests in four northern Swiss cantons as of Thursday.

Published: 9 July 2020 11:09 CEST
Mandatory masks in nightclubs in four Swiss cantons from today
DJs wearing masks at a club in Paris. Photo: ALAIN JOCARD / AFP

The cantons of Basel City, Basel Country, Aargau and Solothurn announced on Wednesday that rising infection rates necessitated the reintroduction of coronavirus lockdown measures. 

The measures will be put in place from Thursday, July 9th onwards and will include a lower maximum number of guests for nightclubs – or a mask requirement for all attendees. 

The maximum amount of guests who can attend a private party, restaurant, nightclub or other event will be reduced from 300 to 100, unless all guests wear masks while in the club. 

READ: Several Swiss cantons to reintroduce coronavirus restrictions from July 9th

Larger venues will be allowed to exceed the maximum on the premises provided that the number of patrons in each separate area does not exceed 100. 

Contact data must still be recorded. 

The rules will apply until December 31st, except for in Solothurn where the end date provided has been August 31st. 

The full press release can be found here. 

Nightclubs under scrutiny

There have been several outbreaks in Switzerland’s nightclubs, with hundreds of people forced into quarantines as a result. 

READ: With more coronavirus outbreaks, did Switzerland reopen nightclubs too soon? 

On Sunday, June 29th, Swiss authorities announced the temporary closure of Zurich’s flamingo club after a ‘superspreader’ event led to several positive coronavirus tests and required 300 people to quarantine.

News has now emerged of several further outbreaks at Swiss bars and nightclubs, with patrons receiving messages that they may be infected, with some being told to quarantine.

On Wednesday, Swiss media reported that revellers who attended Zurich’s Plaza Club on June 26th that they “may have had contact with a person suffering from Covid-19”.

A text message from the cantonal medical service told attendees “it cannot be ruled out that they were exposed to the new corona virus and infected.”

Partygoers were not forced to quarantine, but were told to avoid crowds and contact a doctor if they had symptoms.

Attendees at Terminus in Olten, Solothurn on Saturday, June 27th have been asked to quarantine after a case of coronavirus was confirmed.

The club wrote on Facebook that an attendee had tested positive.

Owner Dušan Nedeljković told 20 Minutes: “We were of course shaken by this news. You don't want any reports about positive corona tests – and certainly not if it affects a visitor to your own establishment”.

The news of the outbreaks came just one day after two further outbreaks were detected in Zurich and in the neighbouring canton of Aargau.

300 people were told to quarantine after attending the Flamingo Bar in Zurich, while 20 people have tested positive among 100 attendees at the Tesla Bar in Spreitenbach.

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HEALTH

How difficult is it to change your doctor in Switzerland?

If you already have a GP doctor in Switzerland but, for some reason, need or want to switch, how easy is it to do so?

Published: 8 July 2024 15:59 CEST
Updated: 8 September 2024 05:47 CEST
How difficult is it to change your doctor in Switzerland?

There are a number of reasons why you may want to leave your GP and find a new one.

Maybe you don’t like their bedside manner, are not happy with the medical care, or are simply moving away and need to find someone closer to your new home.

Whatever the reason, whether or not you can easily switch from one doctor to another depends on the kind of health insurance you have.

Different models, different rights

If you have the ‘standard’ — and typically the most expensive — type of the obligatory health insurance (KVG / LaMal), then you are free to switch your GPs at will, and you don’t have to inform the insurance carrier of the switch.

However, if you have opted for one of the cheaper insurance models, then your right to switch doctors may be limited:

Family doctor model’

It is the most popular in Switzerland (and 20 percent cheaper than standard insurance policy premiums).

Under this model, you have a family doctor who will manage your care — that is, treat you or send you to specialists if needed (with the exception of gynecologists and eye doctors, who don’t require a referral).

You can’t, however, change doctors at will, unless your insurance company approves the switch.

Telemedicine model

If you have opted for the Telemed formula, you must call a health hotline set up by your insurance company.

They will give you a referral to a doctor or hospital based on your symptoms.
 
Heath Maintainance Organisation (HMO)

Under this model, policyholders are required to consult a particular HMO practice. Two disadvantages of this alternative is a limited choice of doctors and you also need a referral to see a specialist.

So the only option that gives you the right to switch doctors with no hassle is the standard one, with the family doctor model also possibly allowing you to do so, under certain circumstances.

The way Telmed and HMO are set up, however, switching doctors is not possible. If that option is important to you, then you will have to switch to the (more expensive) standard insurance.

The only exception to the above restrictions are emergencies, when you need urgent medical treatment.

Assuming you have the standard model, how do you go about changing?

The process is pretty simple: you can find physicians in your area either through recommendations from people you know (which is the best way to ensure you will not be getting an ‘anonymous’ doctor) or, if no recommendations are available, then through the OneDoc platform, which lists which doctors are taking new patients and where.

You can then make an appointment directly online.

When you do so, ask your current physician’s office to transfer your file to the new doc.

You don’t need to explain the reasons for the switch.
 
READ ALSO: The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters 
 

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