A study of passengers in major Swiss train stations has estimated that an average of 6% were wearing protective face masks on a normal afternoon last week.
The figures, which confirm anecdotal evidence and previous estimates provided by public transport authorities, were reported in newspapers owned by the Tamedia group on Thursday.
They are based on the observations made over two days last week by artificial intelligence company Swisstraffic, which set up cameras in Bern, Lausanne, and Zurich stations before using an algorithm to estimate how many people were wearing masks.
Between 15.30 and 16.30 on the afternoons of 10 and 11 June, an average of 3% of people in Bern, 8% in Lausanne, and 7% in Zurich were wearing masks. Of the total 10,231 detected by the cameras, the average was 6%.
The figures come as public transport usage continues to pick up after the successive loosening of measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. They also come amid ongoing debates about the utility or not of wearing masks to prevent the spread of infections.
Official guidance is to wear masks in public “when you can’t keep your distance [i.e. the two-metre rule]”. However, unlike in French and German public transport, there is no general obligation. Among the public, support for masks has dipped as new Covid-19 cases have decreased, although 50% of the population still supports mandatory mask-wearing some or all of the time on public transport, according to a survey published last week.
Nevertheless the report warns that the AI-gathered figures might not tell the whole story: since the Swiss Federal Railways didn’t allow the experiment to be done on board trains, the statistics only reflect the case in the stations themselves – which means people who remove their mask immediately after disembarking might not be included.
Numbers of mask wearers also vary at different times of the day: in the capital Bern, for example, where the average was 3% during the afternoon, the morning rush hour figure rose to 11%.
Tamedia, who commissioned the test, wrote that facial recognition was not used in the experiment and that the technology was developed with the safeguarding of privacy as its highest priority.
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland presents special toilet for cows to cut emissions
This content was published on
A toilet specially designed for cows, aimed at reducing ammonia emissions per animal by 15%, was presented at a farm in Hellbühl, canton Lucerne, on Wednesday.
Swiss petition against US F-35 fighter jets gathers 42,000 signatures
This content was published on
A petition by the "Stop-F35 Alliance" urging the Swiss government to immediately halt the purchase of new US fighter jets has gathered 42,500 signatures.
Swiss House of Representatives backs online Schengen visa system
This content was published on
In future, Schengen visa applications should be made via a European Union online platform. On Tuesday, Switzerland's House of Representatives adopted a revision of Swiss legislation on this issue.
UBS study: Switzerland is still the richest country in the world
This content was published on
Average per-capita wealth in Switzerland rose last year to $687,000 (CHF561,000), the UBS Global Wealth Report said on Wednesday.
UBS and Pictet report data leak after cyber attack on provider Chain IQ
This content was published on
Swiss banks UBS and Pictet on Wednesday confirmed they had suffered a data leak due to a cyber attack on their subcontractor Chain IQ in Switzerland.
Iran will respond firmly if US gets directly involved in Israeli strikes, says UN ambassador
This content was published on
Iran says it will respond firmly to the United States if it becomes directly involved in Israel's military campaign, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday.
Swiss politicians concerned by cut to Lausanne-Paris TGV services
This content was published on
The Vaud cantonal parliament wants to maintain six direct daily TGV high-speed train services between Lausanne and Paris.
This content was published on
Switzerland and Norway have signed a bilateral agreement for the future storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) under the North Sea.
Switzerland must better protect whistleblowers, says OECD
This content was published on
Switzerland must step up its anti-corruption efforts and provide better protection for whistleblowers while increasing fines for guilty firms, an OECD anti-bribery group says.
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 support wanes for masks and Covid tracing app
This content was published on
The Swiss remain sceptical about the use of face masks and a tracing device to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey has found.
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.