Sporting associations and clubs are lobbying the authorities to allow crowds to return to matches. The government will next week examine lifting a 1,000-person limit on public gatherings, according to two newspapers.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Sports bodies, led by football and ice hockey, are warning the death of clubs unless crowd limits are eased. Both the SonntagsZeitung and NZZ am Sonntag report that on Wednesday the government will look into safety concepts that could allow this to happen at matches. A decision is not expected until later this month.
Several clubs are reported to have presented their plans of how to safely increase crowds. The measures include abolishing standing areas for fans, ticketing procedures that keep track of people attending matches, compulsory mask wearing and closing down food and drink stalls at stadiums.
“You can no longer justify permitting dance and cultural events with several hundred participants, where coronavirus measures may be less strictly observed than in large stadiums with a reduced number of spectators,” Marc Lüthi, managing director of the Bern ice hockey club, told the SonntagsZeitung.
“We want a safety concept that allows more than 1,000 fans to attend matches. This is a matter that concerns our very existence,” Swiss Ice Hockey League director Denis Vaucher told NZZ am Sonntag.
The media reports that some government ministers are sympathetic to the cause of sports clubs. Health minister Alain Berset confirmed to the NZZ am Sonntag that the government is looking into the issue but warned against expecting a return to pre-pandemic “normality”.
“There will be no full stadiums without restrictions,” he said. “The regulations will depend on the type of activity. An exhibition event lasting several days is different from a concert or football match, where thousands of people come together for a few hours.”
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
First large-scale alpine solar plant approved in Switzerland
This content was published on
The approval was met with satisfaction by the project's organisers, but it also brings with it a certain amount of pressure.
Medieval squirrels may have ‘helped spread leprosy’
This content was published on
An examination of squirrel remains in the United Kingdom has opened up interesting questions and possibilities in terms of the history of the disease.
Coronavirus has frayed Swiss nerves: interior minister
This content was published on
Interior Minister Alain Berset says the mood of the nation has become more irritable with the realisation that coronavirus is not going away anytime soon.
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.