Covid-19: Swiss increasingly wary about museums and shows
A performance of the opera "Sun and Sea", by Lithuanian artists Rugile Barzdziukaite, Vaiva Grainyte and Lina Lapelyte, at the "Zuercher Theater Spektakel" in Zurich, on August 13, 2020.
Keystone / Ennio Leanza
Around one in three Swiss say they will not go to the cinema or a museum until the Covid-19 pandemic is completely over.
The population has become “more reticent” about attending cultural activities since June, a pollExternal link commissioned by the Federal Office of Culture found.
At the end of August 42% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey said they would only start going to culture-related events or activities in 2021; in June this figure stood at 22%.
The percentage varies according to the activity: around 43% said they were not prepared to attend a concert or a show at a theatre, opera or circus. Meanwhile, 36% said they would not go to a museum or exhibition, and 64% said they would avoid festivals.
Financial support
The cultural sector in Switzerland has struggled amid the pandemic. The government approved a financial package worth CHF280 million ($306 million) to help businesses and institutions cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Switzerland. Yet around 65% of those questioned in the new survey felt the cultural sector should receive extra financial support.
Meanwhile, the number of new positive cases continues to creep up, with an average case count of 65 per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. The daily number of new infections across the country, based on a seven-day average, stands at 422. This represents a 14% rise on the previous week. Vaud, Zurich, Geneva, Fribourg, Bern and Aargau are the worst-affected cantons.
More
More
Swiss Politics
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss-EU treaties: signatures handed in for Kompass initiative
This content was published on
The committee behind the Compass Initiative submitted the signatures it had collected to the Federal Chancellery on Friday.
This content was published on
Esther Grether has died aged 89. Considered one of Switzerland’s leading entrepreneurs, the owner of the Basel-based Doetsch Grether Group was also a major shareholder in the Swatch Group and an art collector.
This content was published on
The flag of the Swiss Wrestling Federation has been received at the start of the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Mollis, canton Glarus.
Figurine heads in Zurich school not considered discriminatory
This content was published on
The 16 carved figurine heads in the auditorium of the Hirschengraben school building in Zurich are not discriminatory, according to an independent expert report.
Swiss political parties report income of CHF22.4 million for 2024
This content was published on
Ten parties reported income totalling CHF22.4 million for 2024, less than in the 2023 election year. The reports are based on the regulations for transparency in political financing.
FIFA loses multi-million lawsuit against Blatter and Kattner
This content was published on
Former FIFA officials Joseph Blatter and Markus Kattner do not have to pay back their own bonuses or the bonus totalling CHF 23 million paid to another FIFA official to FIFA. This was decided by the Zurich Labour Court.
How cancer cells makes healthy cells work for them
This content was published on
Cancer cells manipulate neighbouring cells for their own purposes: a research team at ETH Zurich has discovered that they can reprogram neighbouring cells in such a way that they help the tumour to grow.
This content was published on
The ban on non-residents entering the swimming pool in Porrentruy, canton Jura, expires on Sunday and would be extended until the end of the season, the mayor said.
Natural disasters: most Swiss back forced resettlement
This content was published on
The authorities should be allowed to order forced relocations if there is a medium-term risk of a natural event, according to 58% of participants in a survey.
Strict anti-Covid measures applied to Swiss mass events
This content was published on
The government has announced a series of conditions for the resumption of mass events in Switzerland to curb the spread of coronavirus infections.
This content was published on
This year’s edition of the world’s biggest art fair, initially rescheduled until September, has now been cancelled altogether.
Emergency funding made available for artists and designers
This content was published on
People who work in the cultural sector in Switzerland can now apply for funds to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.