Italy & Switzerland CORONA updates!

I’m located in switzerland. i have a good friend who lives in Milan, Italy, and I have some feedback from people here around switzerland about the state of things and the response.

I thought i would post it here to keep people informed and up to date.

see posts below about actual school admin email

my friend from milan said that there is a lot of panic, and he confirms that the schools and businesses are closed until 29. feb.

he is heading to switzerland tomorrow though, and there doesn’t seem like anything in place to stop him, or anyone else from coming here from the hot zone…

another good friend from my town in switzerland sent me an email they received from the health officials…

they basically just said, yes, italy is having closures but there is nothing to worry about and that there are no cases in switzerland at this point.

they mentioned that if students were sick, and had contact with anyone from china or were in china, that they should stay home from school and call a dr.

this is bullshit! there are direct trains (3 hours 40 minutes) from milan to zurich (the largest swiss city) every hour of the day, not to mention many other trains where you would have to change trains.

there is also of course who knows how many cars coming in daily from italy…

milan just exploded out of nowhere, and the swiss authorites are only sending out do not panic emails to people in school admin roles.

the exact translation of who the email was sent to is:
– All school nurses
– All school administrators
– School management special schools / school homes
– Sponsorships for special schools

edit add: full email translation:

In connection with the current holiday season, various schools are confronted with questions about dealing with children and young people who have spent their holidays abroad. In consultation with the cantonal medical service, the elementary school authorities provide schools with the following information in connection with the corona virus (as of February 24, 2020):

– In Switzerland, the new corona virus has not yet been detected in any of the suspected cases examined.

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– There are currently no other measures than the usual recommendations during the flu season: Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water several times a day. Cough or sneeze in the crook of your arm or, if available, in a tissue and dispose of it in a trash can after use. Avoid close contact with people with acute respiratory disease.

– The situation in Lombardy and Veneto does not currently require any additional measures.

– The return of students after a stay in China outside the province of Hubei does not require any further measures from the school.

– In case of doubt, the school management or the school authorities can contact the parents and clarify whether the child or adolescent was in close contact with people suffering from Covid-19 or with people from a severely affected area. In these cases, it can be clarified with the school doctor or the cantonal medical service whether a temporary exclusion from school makes sense.
If a child who has come from China in the last 14 days shows symptoms of a cold, the child should stay at home and the parents must contact a doctor or the doctor’s phone number (0800 33 66 55) by phone. You must tell them on the phone where you have been in the last 14 days or whether you have had contact with people with Covid-19.

If you have any further questions, the school management can contact the school doctor of the municipality, visit the website of the Federal Office of Public Health BAG Link:

www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien

www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien.html

If the starting situation changes or further measures become necessary, the elementary school office will inform the schools immediately.

the only thing that was out of stock was face masks. went to a large home improvement store, and they were all out.

otherwise no shortages as of yet.

also, the swiss post stopped accepting letters from china. flight cancellations to china have been increased.

and, they have said they are “beefing up” precautions…

article about that here, complete with a photo of a border gaurd in a useless surgical mask.

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_swiss-step-up-precautions-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus/45576814

h/t JJ Johns

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