To be fair, in Switzerland (unlike in Florida) we have mask mandates for shops and transport (with high compliance), and starting this week, certificate mandates for indoor dining, theaters, pools, etc.
Tag: Covid19
Zug < Florida
Canton Zug, Switzerland: less vaccinated than Florida. Not really a good look (and Zug is above average on vaccinations within Switzerland). (Switzerland has the lowest vaccination rates in all of Western Europe.)
A Tale of Two Countries
New Zealand: We have 13 new cases, we must lockdown our largest city!
Switzerland: We have 200+ new cases daily, nothing to see here, let’s allow large gatherings from 1 October!
3 Years in Switzerland
Wow. It’s sort of hard to believe that it’s been three years to the day that we arrived in Switzerland. Also hard to believe that it’s already been two years since I wrote this post. On the other hand, the past five months have felt like two years unto themselves.
Some things have changed, others have not. We still don’t know how much longer we’ll stay here (our right to stay depends upon a local job and a permit that must be renewed annually). We still have not really integrated into society here.
On the other hand, I’ve learned a lot more German (after two years of twice-weekly German classes), we’ve traveled pretty extensively both within Switzerland and around Europe (not so much in 2020), and I’ve hiked quite a few mountains.
I still love it here. It’s not perfect. No place is. As much as we complain about the (belated, confusing, mistake-ridden) coronavirus response here, it’s worlds better than the tragedy/disaster that is the United States’ handling of the pandemic.
What’s next? I’m not sure, but it looks like we’ll get another year here. Hike some more mountains, I guess. Explore Portugal more when it’s safe to do so. Work on our bagel baking.
Niederrickenbach hike
Training hike, Niederrickenbach: 5.1km, 640m ascent, 2h, 17°C. Short but relatively steep. We bought local sheep milk cheese at the top and then took the gondola down (our first use of public transportation since COVID happened— there was one other passenger, we all wore masks).
Mask-wearing
Switzerland will finally make mask-wearing mandatory on public transport due to the recent uptick in coronavirus cases. Now do all public places!
Going outside
Why is it that leaving our apartment now exhausts me? Perhaps the fear of bringing death back with me to my family. Or the fear of unwittingly spreading death to others. That sounds more metal than I meant it to be. Anyway, I’m wiped. Stay safe out there.
Wear a mask
At least Switzerland now recommends masks for close quarters (e.g. public transportation) and has renewed the mandate to work from home if possible.
Shopping look, surgical mask edition
This week’s shopping look. Using a surgical mask now that they’re becoming widely available to the public here in Switzerland.
Reopening the economy
Today Switzerland takes its first step towards reopening the economy by allowing personal service businesses to open (e.g. hair dressers). On Wednesday they will decide whether schools will reopen on May 11, but 2 days is way too soon to see any spike from today’s reopening.