Kasia Davies
Research expert covering the German market
Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Switzerland - statistics & facts
The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Research for a cure did lead to a breakthrough. The BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine, a joint venture between Germany and the U.S., was approved by Switzerland on December 19 and shortly after, on December 21, by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Commission. Voluntary vaccination began throughout the country at the end of December that year.
In 2020, the Swiss government declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. According to surveys, the majority of the population agreed with this decision. Based on surveys conducted during 2020 and 2021, trust in political leadership during the epidemic varied. Still, back in 2020, the population agreed with rules of conduct introduced and repeatedly recommended to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country, following them both in their professional and personal lives. These rules included, as in other countries affected by COVID-19, washing hands thoroughly, keeping a physical distance when around other people, and avoiding handshakes.
The coronavirus pandemic had led to closures of public venues, entertainment locations, schools, universities, hospitality and gastronomy businesses, as well as travel restrictions and closed borders within Europe. These measures had been implemented to prevent the further spread of the disease and overloading health services in the event of rising hospital admissions, but they also had wide-reaching economic consequences, with experts already making predictions for the future. The situation was a dynamic one and continued to change daily, therefore it was not always possible to give a fixed, long-term estimate. Still, Swiss GDP growth forecasts by various sources listed an increase for 2022. It is difficult to determine how much time businesses will need to recuperate from losses.
Life in Switzerland has mostly returned to what it was before the coronavirus reached the country. Since April 2022, there have been no COVID restrictions in the country, and the government has left the decision up to individual cantons to decide if they want to impose certain restrictions if cases begin to rise again. Similarly, the government decided to deactivate the SwissCovid app. This return to normal life was made possible by a large share of the popular getting the coronavirus vaccination. This has meant that hospitals have not been as overwhelmed as they were at the height of the pandemic.
In 2020, the Swiss government declared a state of emergency due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. According to surveys, the majority of the population agreed with this decision. Based on surveys conducted during 2020 and 2021, trust in political leadership during the epidemic varied. Still, back in 2020, the population agreed with rules of conduct introduced and repeatedly recommended to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country, following them both in their professional and personal lives. These rules included, as in other countries affected by COVID-19, washing hands thoroughly, keeping a physical distance when around other people, and avoiding handshakes.
The coronavirus pandemic had led to closures of public venues, entertainment locations, schools, universities, hospitality and gastronomy businesses, as well as travel restrictions and closed borders within Europe. These measures had been implemented to prevent the further spread of the disease and overloading health services in the event of rising hospital admissions, but they also had wide-reaching economic consequences, with experts already making predictions for the future. The situation was a dynamic one and continued to change daily, therefore it was not always possible to give a fixed, long-term estimate. Still, Swiss GDP growth forecasts by various sources listed an increase for 2022. It is difficult to determine how much time businesses will need to recuperate from losses.
Life in Switzerland has mostly returned to what it was before the coronavirus reached the country. Since April 2022, there have been no COVID restrictions in the country, and the government has left the decision up to individual cantons to decide if they want to impose certain restrictions if cases begin to rise again. Similarly, the government decided to deactivate the SwissCovid app. This return to normal life was made possible by a large share of the popular getting the coronavirus vaccination. This has meant that hospitals have not been as overwhelmed as they were at the height of the pandemic.
