Now that the measures and restrictions have been lifted, individual responsibility is becoming more important. How we protect ourselves and others now depends on our own behaviour.
Keep an eye on your state of health: Monitor your state of health and get tested if you have symptoms.
Wear a mask: Respiratory masks can be a good idea in rooms or situations where there is a higher risk of transmission (e.g. enclosed and poorly-ventilated spaces, gatherings, public transport).
Keep your distance: Avoid close and protracted contact and large gatherings, and maintain a sufficient distance from others.
Work: If you work, clarify with your employer what precautionary measures apply in the workplace.
If you are unsure if you are at especially high risk, please contact your doctor.
Older people: The risk that people will contract a severe case of coronavirus disease increases as they get older. The risk of being hospitalised also increases from the age of 50. Pre-existing (underlying) conditions increase the risk even further.
Pregnant women
Adults with trisomy 21
Adults with certain forms of the following chronic diseases:
o High blood pressure
o Cardiovascular disease
o Diabetes
o Pulmonary and respiratory diseases
o Conditions and therapies that weaken the immune system
o Cancer
o Obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2)
o Chronic kidney disease
o Liver cirrhosis
You have symptoms of coronavirus. What should you do?
If you feel unwell, stay at home. If you have symptoms, it may be a good idea to get tested, especially if you are at especially high risk. The costs of the test are covered by the federal government.
Social contact: You should avoid or reduce social contact, especially with people at especially high risk. Wearing a mask when out and about is also a good idea.
Work: If you work, talk to your employer about your working arrangements, the necessary precautionary measures and whether you need to provide a medical certificate and by when.
Contact with people at especially high risk: If you would like to visit someone (e.g. in a hospital or care home), consider postponing the visit and find out in advance about the visitor regulations in place.
You can find out about the symptoms of COVID-19 on the page Disease, symptoms, treatment. Further information on testing can be found on the page Tests.
You have tested positive. What should you do?
Inform others about your test result: If you have contact with people at especially high risk, it is wise to let them know about your positive test result as soon as possible.
If you are sick: If you feel unwell, you should stay at home and avoid or reduce contact, especially with people at especially high risk.
High-risk group: If you belong to the especially high-risk group, consider contacting your medical specialist so that they can evaluate early COVID-19 treatment.
Mask: Wearing a mask when out and about is a good idea.
Work: If you work, talk to your employer about your working arrangements, the necessary precautionary measures and whether you need to provide a medical certificate and by when.
You have had contact with someone who has tested positive. What should you do?
Test: People at especially high risk should get tested.
In general: Follow the basic principles. Reduce contact with others for a few days if possible, especially with people at especially high risk.
Your child has symptoms of COVID-19. What should you do?
Test: In general, testing is not recommended for children.
If they have pre-existing conditions: If your child has a chronic illness, severe symptoms or is an infant, it is advisable to seek advice from your paediatrician or GP, who will decide on treatment and whether a test is necessary.
If they are sick: If your child has a high temperature, they should not attend school or day-care until it has passed. However, they can attend school or day-care if they feel well enough.
In general: Minimise contact with people at especially high risk.
We recommend that you get vaccinated against coronavirus. Vaccination offers the best protection against catching and spreading COVID-19, or suffering from long-term consequences.
Visit the Vaccination page for more reasons to get your COVID-19 jab and much more information on the topic.
You can continue to wear a mask if you want to. Masks protect you and others from infection. If you have contact with people at especially high risk, it is a good idea to wear a mask.
Make sure you use surgical masks meeting the following requirements:
Standard: EN 14683
Information on the packaging: CE marking and information on the manufacturer, including address
There are three types of EN 14683 face mask with different levels of filter efficiency (types I, II and IIR). For everyday use we recommend all types.
Surgical masks, when used correctly, primarily protect other people from infection (protecting others). They also provide a certain amount of protection for the person wearing them (protecting yourself).
(These masks are also commercially available as N95 (manufactured in the US) or KN95 (manufactured in China) with a similar standard)
Filtering face piece masks should meet the following requirements:
Standard: EN 149
Printed designation: EN 149 (year) FFP2, plus CE label
Size and fit: You should choose a size and shape that fits your face.
Filtering face piece masks such as FFP2 masks are designed so that both exhaled and inhaled air are transported through the filter material, filtering out particles that may be laden with viruses. This has been demonstrated in many studies under laboratory conditions.
This effect is achieved only to a lesser extent with other masks such as surgical masks. This means that filtering face piece masks are superior to other masks in terms of the material's filter performance and enable you to additionally protect you and other people from aerosols (more protection for yourself and others).
For a filtering face piece mask to provide increased protection, it must be optimally adjusted to the shape of the face and fit snugly to the face at all times. There must be no gap between the mask and the skin of the face, since otherwise most of the air is transported through the gap and can even spread further because the flow is forced. The inhaled air is then also not filtered, but flows unfiltered through the gaps. This is especially true for the parts to the right and left of the nose, which must be modelled closely to the shape of the nose with the metal strip. Filtering face masks generally cannot be fitted sufficiently snugly to beard wearers. When wearing the mask you should take care that it does not slip, e.g. when speaking or during other movements, otherwise gaps will appear.
FFP2 masks are recommended primarily in patient care for certain high-risk contacts, for example close and more protracted contact with COVID-19 patients, or situations where there may be increased release or accumulation of aerosols, e.g. poor room ventilation. For more Information, see the recommendations of the National Centre for Infection Control (Swissnoso).
In summary, this means that surgical (hygiene or medical) masks are sufficient for use in day-to-day situations.
Filtering face piece masks can make sense for people who need extra protection or in situations where there is a greater risk of transmission (for example enclosed and poorly ventilated areas).
Masks with valves are also available on the market. We expressly do NOT recommend these masks for everyday use, as they do not filter on exhalation (breathing out) and tend to facilitate the spread of the virus.
Ventilating indoor spaces helps remove air that contains virus particles and reduces the risk of transmission.
We therefore recommend you ventilate indoor spaces several times a day, particularly spaces where people from different households congregate. Temperature permitting, it is a good idea to leave windows open for extended periods.
Many buildings in Switzerland can only be ventilated through the windows.
If many people are in a room and the windows are closed, the air quality deteriorates very rapidly, and viruses and bacteria can also accumulate. So to reduce the risk of infection with the coronavirus and other pathogens such as influenza, rooms should be aired out as thoroughly as possible.
Certain activities such as frequent loud talking, singing, high levels of physical exertion or coughing and sneezing release more coronaviruses, for example.
Spaces where people from several households congregate (for example meeting rooms, common areas in retirement homes, offices, living rooms with guests, etc.) should be ventilated at least once an hour for 5 to 10 minutes. Always open the windows fully and ensure that there is a draught (impact ventilation).
Ventilate classrooms every 20 to 25 minutes if possible. Further information and tips on this can be found at www.schulen-lueften.ch (website available in German, French and Italian only) and in the information sheet (available in German, French and Italian only).
Remind yourself to ventilate rooms with window ventilation: e.g. set an alarm on your mobile phone or use a CO2 measurement device that shows indirectly how well ventilated a room is. Rooms with people in them are well ventilated if the CO2 level can be kept below 1,000 ppm for most of the time.
Ventilating with the help of a CO2 measuring device: Ideally ventilate if the CO2 level increases to over 1,000 ppm, and at 1,400 ppm at the latest. Ventilate for a sufficient length of time: ideally until the CO2 level has fallen to below 500 ppm.
In a room occupied by around the same number of people at all times, a CO2 measurement device can also be used temporarily to determine a ventilation routine that’s appropriate for the way the room is used.
The device should not be placed right next to windows or doors or in corners where walls meet, and it should not be positioned right where people are breathing.
If you have a ventilation or air conditioning system: to ensure effective protection, make sure your system is on a high ventilation rate (maximum level of air changes per hour/ACH) and on the lowest possible air recirculation rate (information for operators on the Suissetec website, available in German, French and Italian only).
Tip: On hot summer’s days it’s advisable to ventilate less frequently and only at cooler times of the day. The risk of infection can be reduced by limiting contact indoors (e.g. welcoming guests in person). You’ll find more information on the page on heatwaves (in German, French and Italian).
Measures to reduce pathogens
Ventilation is the most important measure for protecting against transmission indoors over longer distances and to ensure healthy indoor air. There is also discussion of additional measures to reduce pathogens in indoor air:
In order to efficiently remove particles and aerosols from indoor air, air filtration units must be equipped with appropriate filters, suitably sized and located, and regularly maintained. A frequent drawback is the high noise level at maximum power. The risk of infection when in close contact with persons infected with coronavirus cannot be effectively reduced by air filtration units. You can find out more in the fact sheet ‘Air filtration units to tackle the coronavirus’.
Disinfecting surfaces or the air through the specialist use of UV-C radiation devices has long been a way of eliminating pathogens in professional settings. However, measurements of UV-C disinfection devices for home use have revealed significant shortcomings: they either exceed UV-C limits and therefore pose a risk to health, or the UV-C radiation generated is too weak to have a disinfectant effect. You can find out more about this in the fact sheet on UV-C disinfection devices for home use.
In addition, devices are increasingly being marketed to disinfect the air in rooms. However, their usefulness is questionable and they can have harmful effects on people’s health if they are present in the room during operation. For more information on this and on the transmission of coronaviruses in general, refer to the document on disinfecting indoor air to combat the coronavirus (in German, French or Italian).
You can protect yourself and others from infection by washing or sanitising your hands regularly.
You should also wash your hands every time you come home, when you have touched objects or surfaces that have also been touched frequently by other people, after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing, and before eating or preparing food.
Cough and sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your arm
Viruses can be spread by blowing your nose, sneezing, spitting and coughing. You should therefore stick to the following to reduce or avoid the risk of transmission.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue, or if you don’t have a tissue, into the crook of your arm.
Wash your hands afterwards every time you cough, sneeze, spit or blow your nose.
Use a paper tissue, and use it only once, then dispose of it.
Elternnotruf: phone 0848 35 45 55 (counselling in German, French, Italian and English)
At the normal rates and at selected times:
Pro Mente Sana counselling line: 0848 800 858 (also via e-mail)
Or visit dureschnufe.ch (available in German only). Here, you can find tips and help on issues such as family and loneliness, problems at home, financial concerns, etc. Under 10 steps for mental health, you are provided with tips on what you can do yourself to boost your well-being.
Worry, loneliness and stress can lead to increased consumption of alcohol, prescription drugs and other substances. At www.safezone.ch (in German, in French or Italian) you can get online advice on addiction and substance abuse issues, anonymously if you desire.
Information campaign ‘Protect yourself and others’: posters, videos and instructions in different languages, incl. those of Switzerland’s migrant population
