Nightclubbing in times of coronavirus?

A visitor to a Zurich nightclub may have infected more than 20 other clubbers with coronavirus. The attempt to quarantine hundreds of other guests has proved to be extremely difficult. The information on the list of visitors to the nightclub was inaccurate: a third of the e-mail addresses were incorrect, so that many guests did not receive a call from a contact tracer. The consequences are now being debated.

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Tages-Anzeiger (CH) /

Time to stop and think

The measures for containing the pandemic must be subject to closer scrutiny, the Tages-Anzeiger believes:

“We need protection concepts that work. This is particularly difficult in the club scene, where everything revolves around proximity and excess. The first attempt backfired, so now it's time to stop and think about what improvements can be made. This could mean closing the clubs until the end of the summer holidays - many are taking a break anyway. The time could be used to work out a better protection concept. Compulsory identification of all guests is only the starting point. After that, the cantons will also have to improve contact tracing. In addition to stricter quarantine controls, there must be more spot checks at clubs and events.”

Neue Zürcher Zeitung (CH) /

Don't cripple the whole party scene

It would be unfair to turn the clubs into the scapegoats, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung warns:

“The liberal spirit of a society, particularly in the current crisis, is also expressed in its knowing how to respect and protect a wide variety of ideas about how to have fun and enjoy one's leisure time. ... Society must admit that it cannot control this virus in every nook and cranny. Let he who is without corona sin be the first to cast a stone. Most people have acted negligently in one way or another. ... Yes, the danger is concentrated at clubs, but minimising the risks would mean putting a stop to the entire nightlife scene, from cinemas to restaurants. Hardly anyone wants such sweeping measures, with all the economic consequences they would entail.”