NEW GENEVA COVID RESTRICTIONS: THE CITY WILL SLOWLY REOPEN AS OF 1 MARCH
Bad news for restaurants and cafés, good news for shops, sports facilities and museums. The Swiss authorities have announced they’re slowly loosening COVID restrictions. As of 1 March, all stores will reopen, but restaurants will continue to remain shut.
We’re all tired of lockdown, although in all fairness, we’re allowed to move around much more in Switzerland than in many countries. (Skiing, anyone?) But that’s not to say it hasn’t been hard, especially for businesses.
If you’re trying to make sense of the new COVID-19 rules that have just been announced, here’s a summary for you.
On 17 February, the Federal Council made the call to carefully and incrementally begin relaxing COVID-19 rules. Here’s what will reopen:
- Shops
- Museums
- Sports and leisure facilities: tennis courts, ice skating rinks, football fields, running tracks (groups of 5 people max.)
- Zoos and botanical gardens: exterior spaces
- Library reading rooms
In addition, outdoor gatherings of up to 15 people will be permitted, up from 5.
On 24 February, the Federal Council will announce a definitive decision on these new relaxed coronavirus restrictions in Geneva and all of Switzerland.
WHAT WILL REOPEN NEXT IN GENEVA?
If the coronavirus situation in Switzerland continues to improve and the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more widely available, they will look at reopening additional sectors. Every month the conseil fédéral will reevaluate the situation, starting with activities where mask-wearing and social distancing is possible, or if the activity can take place outdoors.
As of 1 April, the Swiss government hopes to reopen restaurant terraces, cultural and sporting events at a very limited capacity, and indoor sports.
There are strict criteria for this to happen though, from positive COVID-19 cases staying under the 5% threshold, to COVID-19 intensive care units having less than 25% of beds occupied, and more.
Find out more on Geneva COVID restrictions, in French (the source of information for this article).
FIND OUT HOW TO REGISTER FOR THE COVID VACCINE HERE.
Photo credit: François Gha, Unsplash
