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On 28 February 2020, the national government, the Federal Council, banned all events with more than 1,000 participants. On 16 March 2020, a State of Extraordinary Situation under the Epidemics Act was declared.[8] Most shops were closed nationwide. Shortly thereafter, on 20 March, all gatherings of more than five people in public spaces were banned. Additionally, the government gradually imposed restrictions on border crossings and announced economic support measures worth 40 billion Swiss francs.[9] The measures were gradually removed in several phases beginning in late April until June 2020[10] but new measures were imposed in October as cases surged again.[11]
On 23 December 2020, the vaccination campaign started in Switzerland, ahead of that of most European countries. Four days earlier, Swissmedic approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for regular use. On August 1, 2021, Switzerland achieved a vaccination rate of 52%.[12] From 13 September 2021, access to indoor public spaces like restaurants, bars, museums or fitness centres is only permitted with a valid Covid certificate. Almost all measures were lifted on 17 February 2022.
Background
On 12 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, who had initially come to the attention of the WHO on 31 December 2019.[13][14]
The COVID-19 virus has an especially high mortality rate for the elderly aged 65 and over.[18] This was especially concerning for Switzerland which had an elderly population of 18.3 percent in 2018, above the average for OECD countries.[19]
Includes cases and deaths in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The lower death number on 2020-07-27 is from BAG Schweiz.
On 25 February 2020, Switzerland confirmed the first case of COVID-19, a 70-year-old man in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino bordering Italy, who had previously visited Milan tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.[20][21][3]
On 27 February, a 28-year-old IT worker from Geneva, who had recently returned from Milan, tested positive and was admitted to the Geneva University Hospital.[22][23] A 55-year-old Italian who worked in an international company also tested positive in Geneva.[24] Two Italian children, who were on vacation in Graubünden, tested positive and were hospitalised.[23][25][26]
A 26-year-old man in Aargau, who had gone on a business trip the week before and stayed in Verona, tested positive and was hospitalised.[23] A 30-year-old woman, who had visited Milan, was admitted to a hospital in Zurich.[23] A 49-year-old man living in France and working in Vaud was confirmed positive in Canton of Vaud.[27]
A young woman, who had travelled to Milan, tested positive in Basel-Stadt. She worked in a daycare centre in Riehen, and after her test had been confirmed, the children at the daycare were put into a two-week quarantine.[28] On 28 February, her partner, a 23-year-old man, also tested positive in Basel-Landschaft.[24]
March 2020
On 3 March, the University of Zurich announced six confirmed cases of coronavirus at the Institute of Mathematics. As of 5 March, there are 10 confirmed cases at the University of Zurich, at least 7 at the I-Math and 1 at the Center of Dental Medicine.[29]
On 5 March, the Lausanne University Hospital announced that a 74-year-old female coronavirus case had died overnight.[30] The patient had been hospitalised since 3 March, and had had chronic illness.[30]
On 11 March, a 54-year-old male died from COVID-19 in the Bruderholz Hospital in Basel-Landschaft, marking the fourth fatal case in Switzerland. He had joined a religious event in Mulhouse, France prior to contracting the virus and developing pneumonia.[31]
On 16 March 2020, a State of Extraordinary Situation under the Federal Law of Epidemics was declared.[8]
Government response
Official information explaining hygiene rules and correct reaction in case of symptoms (version of 16 March 2020 in the parliament building)Number of cases (blue) and number of deaths (red) on a logarithmic scale
The Government began to hold COVID-19 press conferences to which several members of the Federal Council (Swiss Cabinet)[32] and the Head of the Swiss Corona Task-Force, Daniel Koch (dubbed Mr. Corona by the media) assisted.[33]
On 27 February 2020, following the confirmation of COVID-19 cases in the region, Graubünden cancelled the Engadiner Skimarathon.[26]
On 28 February, the Federal Council banned events involving more than 1,000 people in an effort to curb the spread of the infection.[34][35] Multiple events such as carnivals and fairs were either postponed or cancelled. Geneva Motor Show,[36]Baselworld,[37] Bern Carnival and the Carnival of Basel were cancelled.[38] University of Bern replaced all face-to-face lectures with more than 250 attendees with online lectures.[39]
On 6 March, the Federal Council announced a "changed strategy" with a focus on the protection of the most vulnerable individuals, i.e., older persons and persons with pre-existing conditions.[40]
On 13 March, the Federal Council decided to cancel classes in all educational establishments until 4 April 2020, and banned all events (public or private) involving more than 100 people. It has also decided to partially close its borders and enacted border controls.[41][42][43] The canton of Vaud took more drastic measures, prohibiting all public and private gatherings with more than 50 people, and closing its educational establishments until 30 April.[44][45]
On 16 March, the Federal Council announced[46] further measures, and a revised ordinance applicable on 17 March.[47][48][49] Measures include the closure of bars, shops and other gathering places until 19 April, but leaves open certain essentials, such as grocery shops, pharmacies, (a reduced) public transport and the postal service.[50]
The government announced a 42 billion CHF rescue package for the economy, which included money to replace lost wages for employed and self-employed people, short-term loans to businesses, delay for payments to the government, and support for cultural and sport organisations.[51]
On 20 March, the government announced that no complete lockdown would be implemented, but all events or meetings over 5 people were prohibited. Economic activities would continue including construction.[52]
Those measures were prolonged until 26 April 2020.[53]
On 16 April, Switzerland announced that the country would ease restrictions in a three-step, gradual way. The first step began on 27 April, for those who work in close contact with others, but not in large numbers.[54] Surgeons, dentists, day care workers, hairdressers, massage and beauty salons could be opened with safety procedures applied. DIY stores, garden centres, florists and food shops that also sell other goods could also be opened. The second step was to begin on 11 May, assuming implementation of the first step without problems, at which time other shops and schools could be opened. The third step would begin on 8 June with the easing of restrictions on vocational schools, universities, museums, zoos and libraries.[54] From the 25 June onwards, the Government pays for the costs of an eventual Covid Test, if a patient has enough symptoms of COVID-19.[55] In July and August, masks became mandatory, first on public transport and then also in airplanes.[55]
In October 2020, following a rapid increase in corona cases, the authorities imposed stricter public health measures. These include limiting public gatherings to 15 people, prioritising home office and making masks mandatory in all enclosed public spaces.[11] In January 2021, after a month of corona cases remaining at a high level, additional measures were passed that required the closure of all restaurants, sport and cultural venues as well as shops that do not sell products for daily use.[56]
From 13 September 2021, access to most indoor public spaces like restaurants, bars, museums or fitness centres was only permitted with a valid Covid certificate. No other restrictions were put in place for the fully vaccinated and boosted people.
On 17 February 2022, almost all measures were lifted, mask remaining mandatory on public transport and in healthcare institutions only.[57]
The Flon in Lausanne before and at the peak of the first COVID-19 outbreak. Unlike in many other countries, no strict confinement was imposed in Switzerland.
An international consortium of researchers, mainly at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, developed the Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (DP3T) framework for digital contact tracing.[58][59][60] The DP3T framework then provided the basis for the COVID-19 contact tracing appSwissCovid, developed by Swiss DP3T researchers, and the private sector in collaboration with Swiss federal administration.[58][60][61][62] In April, Swiss authorities first manifested public support for the project, and initiated a legislative process to draft a law allowing for a national digital contact tracing system.[61] At the end of May, a law was approved,[63] after which a test version was made available for a restricted public,[64] and the source code was released.[65] At the end of June, the application was released to the public.[66] Use of the app is voluntary and based on a decentralized approach using Bluetooth Low Energy, and uses Google and Apple's Exposure Notification system,[66] which was significantly influenced by the DP3T team.[60] As of mid-September, the app is used by over 1.6 million people everyday,[67] with around 450–500 exposure notifications sent a week,[68] for a total of over 2700 confirmed infections per week.[69] An agreement between EU countries to make applications compatible exists,[70] but there is no legal basis for the SwissCovid application to be part of this agreement, even though technically speaking it is said to be ready, according to the Federal Office of Public Health.[71]
Summary of Fiscal Response
During the first wave, the total Swiss distribution of relief funds totaled 73 billion CHF, around 10.4% of Swiss GDP.[72] This included a package on March 13, 2020, of 10 billion CHF.[72] 8 billion of which went to compensation of people who were employed part time, 1 billion for hard hit firms, and 580 million for loan guarantees and compensation for cancelled events.[72] An additional 32 billion CHF package was announced on March 20, 2020, aimed at extending part-time employee subsidies, a guarantee of 20 billion CHF for small business bridging loans, interest free deferral payments to social security, extended timelines for tax payments and payments to state owned suppliers, and compensation for losses of self employed workers.[72] On March 25, further measures of 600 million CHF per month were also provided. Further expansions to the aforementioned support measures were announced on April 3, April 8, April 16, April 22, and April 29.[72] These included a doubling of small business loan guarantees to 40 billion CHF and 1.9 billion CHF credit support relief to Swiss Airlines.[72]
Further support measures were also adopted by the Swiss government during the first wave of the pandemic. The Swiss Value Added Tax (VAT) was suspended through the end of 2020.[73] Additionally debt repayments and prosecution for bankruptcy was suspended from March to April 2020.[74] The Swiss government underwent different periods of debt payment suspensions before instituting a 3-month grace period option from debt collections available to any small business that was not over indebted prior to December, 2019.[74] Furthermore, a stimulus program was added called Innovation Switzerland, aimed at assuaging Swiss firms' financial conditions and incentivizing them to pursue long-term projects, in order to preserve Swiss firms' competitiveness.[75]
The mRNA Covid vaccinations were given approval by Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) in December 2020 and January 2021. Priority for early vaccinations was given to persons aged 75 years or older, or with preexisting illnesses that are known to increase the risk of a severe Covid infection. By 24 April 2021, 2,273,981 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administrated.[76] On August 1, 2021, Switzerland achieved a vaccination rate of 52%.[12] A total of 9, 713, 333 doses had been administered resulting in a 52% fully vaccinated rate and a 6% partially vaccinated rate.[12]
Legal consequences
In September 2021, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that the Canton of Bern had acted disproportionately by restricting the fundamental right to freedom of assembly. The cantonal government had temporarily restricted any gathering of people, including political rallies, to a maximum of 15 people.[77]
Statistics
As with most countries, the number of people actually have had COVID-19 in Switzerland is likely to be much higher than the number of confirmed cases,[78] especially as, since 6 March 2020, the Swiss government has had an official policy of not testing people with only mild symptoms.[79]
Charts
The charts for total and daily confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths are based on the data collected by the Federal Office of Public Health (Swiss Institute for Public Health),[80] as per the actual dates.
Because of the use of actual dates and as some delay occurs in reporting, all figures are subject to retrospective updating.
Cumulative number of confirmed cases, active cases and deaths
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Confirmed new cases per day
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Confirmed deaths per day
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Confirmed recoveries per day
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Total deaths
Comparison of actual deaths per week with expected mortality since 2015
Deaths in Switzerland by age group
Deaths in Switzerland by age group[81] (deceased patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2)
Extensive telecommunication facilities exist in Switzerland. They include the telephone system, internet, and broadcast media.
Switzerland is not a member state of the European Union (EU). It is associated with the Union through a series of bilateral treaties in which Switzerland has adopted various provisions of European Union law in order to participate in the Union's single market, without joining as a member state. Among Switzerland's neighbouring countries, all but one are EU member states.
Prostitution in Switzerland is legal and regulated; it has been legal since 1942. Trafficking, forcing people into prostitution and most forms of pimping are illegal. Licensed brothels, typically with a reception and leading to several studio apartments, are available. One estimate puts the number of street sex workers in Zurich at 5,000.
Poverty in Switzerland refers to people who are living in relative poverty in Switzerland. In 2018, 7.9% of the population or some 660,000 people in Switzerland were affected by income poverty. Switzerland has also a significant number of working poor, estimated at 145,000 in 2015.
The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and all have reported at least one death, with the exception of Vatican City.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany has resulted in 38,437,756 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 174,979 deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands has resulted in 8,635,061 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 22,986 deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium has resulted in 4,859,522 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 34,339 deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Liechtenstein was a part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Liechtenstein in early March 2020. With a total population of 38,896 and 54 confirmed deaths, the country has one of the highest rate of confirmed deaths per capita in the world.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt. The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February 2020. Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent, as Lesotho, the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported a case on 13 May 2020. By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited. Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated.
COVID-19 apps include mobile-software applications for digital contact-tracing - i.e. the process of identifying persons ("contacts") who may have been in contact with an infected individual - deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The (Google/Apple) Exposure Notification System (GAEN) is a framework and protocol specification developed by Apple Inc. and Google to facilitate digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. When used by health authorities, it augments more traditional contact tracing techniques by automatically logging close approaches among notification system users using Android or iOS smartphones. Exposure Notification is a decentralized reporting protocol built on a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy technology and privacy-preserving cryptography. It is an opt-in feature within COVID-19 apps developed and published by authorized health authorities. Unveiled on April 10, 2020, it was made available on iOS on May 20, 2020 as part of the iOS 13.5 update and on December 14, 2020 as part of the iOS 12.5 update for older iPhones. On Android, it was added to devices via a Google Play Services update, supporting all versions since Android Marshmallow.
COVIDSafe was a digital contact tracing app released by the Australian Government on 26 April 2020 to help combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The app was intended to augment traditional contact tracing by automatically tracking encounters between users and later allowing a state or territory health authority to warn a user they have come within 1.5 metres with an infected person for 15 minutes or more. To achieve this, it used the BlueTrace and Herald protocol, originally developed by the Singaporean Government and VMWare respectively, to passively collect an anonymised registry of near contacts. The efficacy of the app was questioned over its lifetime, ultimately identifying just 2 confirmed cases by the time it was decommissioned on 16 August 2022.
Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing is an open protocol developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate digital contact tracing of infected participants. The protocol, like competing protocol Pan-European Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (PEPP-PT), uses Bluetooth Low Energy to track and log encounters with other users. The protocols differ in their reporting mechanism, with PEPP-PT requiring clients to upload contact logs to a central reporting server, whereas with DP-3T, the central reporting server never has access to contact logs nor is it responsible for processing and informing clients of contact. Because contact logs are never transmitted to third parties, it has major privacy benefits over the PEPP-PT approach; however, this comes at the cost of requiring more computing power on the client side to process infection reports.
Corona-Warn-App was the official and open-source COVID-19 contact tracing app used for digital contact tracing in Germany made by SAP and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems.
SwissCovid is a COVID-19 contact tracing app used for digital contact tracing in Switzerland. Use of the app is voluntary and based on a decentralized approach using Bluetooth Low Energy and Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Proximity Tracing (dp3t).
Part of managing an infectious disease outbreak is trying to delay and decrease the epidemic peak, known as flattening the epidemic curve. This decreases the risk of health services being overwhelmed and provides more time for vaccines and treatments to be developed. Non-pharmaceutical interventions that may manage the outbreak include personal preventive measures such as hand hygiene, wearing face masks, and self-quarantine; community measures aimed at physical distancing such as closing schools and cancelling mass gathering events; community engagement to encourage acceptance and participation in such interventions; as well as environmental measures such surface cleaning. It has also been suggested that improving ventilation and managing exposure duration can reduce transmission.
COVID-19 vaccination in Switzerland is an ongoing immunization campaign against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in response to the ongoing pandemic in the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to Africa on 14 February 2020, with the first confirmed case announced in Egypt. The first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa was announced in Nigeria at the end of February. Within three months, the virus had spread throughout the continent, as Lesotho, the last African sovereign state to have remained free of the virus, reported a case on 13 May. By 26 May, it appeared that most African countries were experiencing community transmission, although testing capacity was limited. Most of the identified imported cases arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China where the virus originated. It is believed that there is widespread under-reporting in many African countries with less developed healthcare systems.
COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application, abbreviated as COCOA, is a COVID-19 application for smartphones provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The application uses Bluetooth to detect and record suspected close contacts between users. If the contact is diagnosed with COVID-19, the user will be notified. After receiving the notification, the user can consider self-isolation or go to a medical institution for treatment.
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