After the summer break, Swiss schools see a spike in Covid cases
Schools in German-speaking Switzerland registered a spike in the number of people infected with the coronavirus after the summer vacations.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/ds
Switzerland is being hit by a fourth wave of the coronavirus.
Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
The weekly SonntagsZeitung conducted a survey of the 13 German-speaking cantons and found almost all registered a significant uptick in cases.
In the canton of Bern, there have been around six times more positive cases since the start of the school year than before the summer vacations, according to the Swiss capital’s health directorate.
In the canton of Zurich, Switzerland’s financial hub, the number of infected schoolchildren hit a record high last week. Contact tracing identified 90 so-called super spreader events leading to viral transmission among a high number of people.
Cases were also in the rise in the northern canton of Basel Land and Solothurn in the northwest, the Sunday weekly noted. The educational department of central canton Schwyz documented a ten-fold increase in Covid cases after the summer holidays and more than 450 students have been quarantined.
Rudolf Hauri, president of the Association of Cantonal Physicians Switzerland, blamed travellers returning to Switzerland for the rise in coronavirus cases across Swiss classrooms.
Health measures in schools, like social distancing, handwashing, and ventilating have remained in place for the new term. Older pupils are no longer generally required to wear masks although cantons retain the power to decide otherwise.
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
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.
Read more
More
Swiss plan to repatriate critical Covid-19 patients
This content was published on
Switzerland plans to repatriate around 80 people currently suffering from Covid-19, a health official confirmed on Saturday.
Covid 19: teachers call for stricter measures for new school year
This content was published on
Mass coronavirus testing in schools should continue, teachers say, as concerns grow of a spike in Delta-related coronavirus cases for the new term.
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.