Switzerland marks a year of ‘Covid-19’ life

Giovane seduto davanti a un murales raffigurante un coronavirus — Stephan Torre / Keystone

People in Switzerland have been living under the shadow of coronavirus restrictions for a year now. How has life changed?

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On March 16, 2020, the Swiss government declared an “extraordinary situation” – putting the nation into a semi-lockdown as of midnight on March 17. This was when the authorities banned all private and public events, as well as closed restaurants, bars, leisure facilities and shops apart from grocery stores and pharmacies.

This gallery captures how Switzerland adapted to pandemic life between January and May 2020. Over the course of those months, our photo editors chose the most remarkable images from around the nation:

Lighting up Grossmünster: A light installation by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter illustrates the joy of the Reformed Church in canton Zurich, which was allowed to restart services at Pentecost on May 30. (Keystone/Alexandra Wey) Keystone / Alexandra Wey
Stephan Torre / Keystone
A model of Locarno's Piazza Grande during the annual film festival, which has been cancelled due to Covid-19. However, the 'Swissminiatur' park in Ticino is open again. May 24, 2020 (Alessandro Crinari/Keystone) Alessandro Crinari/Keystone
Disinfectant was made available for people attending the first farmers' market of the year in St Gallen, in eastern Switzerland, May 15, 2020. (KEYSTONE/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
A protective face mask on the road in Lausanne on May 11. (Keystone/Leandre Duggan) Keystone / Leandre Duggan
A teacher wears a protective face mask at a primary school in Morges, western Switzerland, on May 11. Swiss primary and secondary schools re-opened with half of the students during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone). Laurent Gillieron/Keystone
Surprise bouquets for Mother's Day are delivered to a senior care home. Lucerne, May 8, 2020. (Keystone / Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Preparations are in full swing for shops and restaurants that are re-opening on May 11. This includes indicators on the pavement to help customers keep their distance from one another. (Keystone / Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Preparations on May 5 for the re-opening of a Zurich department store on May 11. Shops, markets, museums, libraries and restaurants will be able to re-open then under strict compliance with precautionary measures. (Keystone/Alexandra Wey) Keystone / Alexandra Wey
On May 4, the day the Swiss parliament re-opened, people demonstrating in support of #4m2, calling for a "local and sustainable humanist revival" (Keystone/Laurent Gillieron) Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
Parliamentarian Sandra Sollberger on the first day of parliament's extraordinary session on the coronavirus crisis in an exhibition hall at the Bernexpo in Bern, May 4, 2020. In order for parliament to comply with government social distancing and hygiene rules, the extraordinary session is taking place at the Bernexpo convention centre rather than at the Federal Palace. (Keystone/Alessandro della Valle) Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
For Labour Day they couldn't take to the streets, but they could still make a lot of noise. Zurich on May 1, 2020. (Keystone / Alexandra Wey) Keystone / Alexandra Wey
Observing social distancing regulations, the Zug cantonal parliament meets in a school gym, April 30. (Keystone/Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Teacher Christophe Blanc gives an economics lesson in front of pictures of his students at the private school “Ecole Ardevaz” on April 29, 2020. (Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott) Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
Four people keeping their distance while walking past rapeseed fields in Daillens near Lausanne on April 26, 2020 (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone). Laurent Gillieron/Keystone
A symbolic demonstration in Zurich during the coronavirus crisis on the occasion of the international climate strike, April 24, 2020. (Keystone/Alexandra Wey). Keystone / Alexandra Wey
Ischa, the clown from circus Mugg, performs for residents of a retirement home in Canton Glarus during the coronavirus crisis. April 22, 2020. (Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
Every evening at 7pm, David Reimann of the Alphorn Association Kriens-Pilatus blows his alphorn on his balcony as a sign of gratitude for all the people working to fight the coronavirus pandemic. April 21, 2020. (Keystone/Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Normally a highlight of the Zurich event calendar, the Sechseläuten parade and festivities were cancelled this year. Pictured is Sechseläutenplatz on April 20. (Petra Orosz/Keystone) Petra Orosz/Keystone
Beatrice Panero, dancer and permanent member of the dance company of Konzert Theater Bern, trains in her apartment in Boll on Saturday, April 18, 2020. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone) Peter Klaunzer/Keystone
Baggage trolleys at Zurich airport on April 17 stand unused, as the number of flights taking off has dwindled to a bare minimum. (Keystone/Ennio Leanza) Keystone / Ennio Leanza
Garden centres are preparing to reopen on April 27, 2020, after the gradual relaxation of anti-virus restrictions, which was presented on April 16. (Keystone / Ennio Leanza) Keystone / Ennio Leanza
People fishing on Lake Brienz (Brienzersee) during the coronavirus pandemic on April 12, 2020. (KEYSTONE/Anthony Anex) Anthony Anex/Keystone
The northern entrance to the Gotthard tunnel. Authorities urged Swiss residents not to travel to holiday homes in the south during the Easter break. (Keystone / Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Lonely lecture: Physicist Thomas Ihn gives an online class at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute ETH Zurich on April 8. (Keystone /Alexandra Wey). Keystone / Alexandra Wey
A woman from Zug makes protective face masks out of pieces of material on April 6, 2020 (KEYSTONE/Alexandra Wey). Alexandra Wey/Keystone
A couple meets at the border between the German city of Constance and Kreuzlingen in Switzerland on Sunday, April 5, 2020. After people met at the first fence installed at the border and failed to comply with social distancing measures imposed, a second border fence was installed. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
Monica is on the phone through a window with her 88-year-old mother Giuseppina, on Wednesday, April 1, 2020, at the Serena nursing home in Lugano. They are avoiding direct contact due to the coronavirus. [KEYSTONE/Ti-Press/Davide Agosta] Keystone / Davide Agosta
A man is registered for receiving a test at the new coronavirus drive-through testing facility in the capital, Bern on April 2. (Keystone / Peter Klaunzer) Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
The Meier nursery near Zurich disposes of and composts the cultivated flowers and seedlings that could not be sold during the coronavirus pandemic on March 31. (Keystone/Ennio Leanza) Keystone / Ennio Leanza
A playground at a school in Eggerstanden in northeastern Appenzell on March 30, which has been closed as a result of the virus. (Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
A woman wearing protective face mask pulls a trolley with food shopping in an empty commercial street during the state of emergency of the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Lausanne, Switzerland, Saturday, March 28, 2020. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone) Laurent Gillieron/Keystone
People participate from their balconys in the first “balcony party” organized by Swiss radio station Couleur 3, Geneva, Saturday March 28, 2020. (Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi) Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Using a 'Milchtrichter' or dairy funnel, Pastor Christoph Sigrist sends his blessing to the residents of Zurich from one of the two towers of the city's Grossmünster church, March 27, 2020. (Keystone/Ennio Leanza) Keystone / Ennio Leanza
Food distribution at the Stiftung Suchthilfe charity in St. Gallen, 26 March 2020. Its street kitchen is closed, but food and groceries are distributed to those in need from a safe distance. (KEYSTONE/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
An extended emergency department in the Perioperative Anaesthesia Holding Area at Basel Country Canton Hospital (KSBL) in Binningen, on Thursday 26 March 2020 (KEYSTONE/Georgios Kefalas) Keystone / Georgios Kefalas
The Matterhorn in Zermatt, canton Valais, has been illuminated by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter. The illumination is taking place every day between sunset and 11 pm from March 24 to April 19, 2020, as a sign of hope and solidarity during the corona crisis (Frank Schwarzbach / Zermatt Tourism) Frank Schwarzbach / Zermatt Tourism
The statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux wearing a surgical mask and a sign saying "stay home" on March 23. (Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott) Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
A soldier during health and medical exercises conducted on March 21, before deployment at public hospitals. (Jean-Christophe Bott / Keystone) Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
"We have to take this incredibly seriously." With these words, Roger Federer on Instagram called on the population to fight the coronavirus together. Federal Councillor Alain Berset had launched a social media challenge in the fight against corona. March 21, 2020. (Keystone/Peter Klaunzer) Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
The motorway service areas are now also deserted. A playground on the Gotthard route on March 21, 2020. (Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller) Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
The Federal Terrace in Bern next to parliament has been closed to prevent people from gathering there amid the coronavirus epidemic, March 20, 2020. (Keystone/Peter Klaunzer) Keystone / Peter Klaunzer
Many people across Switzerland, confined or working at home because of the coronavirus, came out onto balconies and windows at 12.30pm on March 20 , clapping and expressing their thanks and solidarity with the country’s health workers. (Keystone / Alexandra Wey) Keystone / Alexandra Wey
A poster of the cancelled "Zermatt Unplugged music festival" in front of the Matterhorn near the ski resort, in Zermatt, March 18, 2020. The Swiss authorities proclaimed on 16 March a state of emergency in an effort to halt the spread of the coronavirus and (Covid-19) All entertainment is banned. (Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott) Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
Due to the quickly spreading coronavirus in Switzerland, schools close thoughout the country with short notice on March 16 2020. (Keystone/Urs Flüeler) Keystone/Urs Flüeler
A civil protection officer tests a man for possible fever at the entrance of the Moncucco hospital in Lugano, March 17, 2020. (Keystone/Alessandro Crinari) Keystone/Alessandro Crinari
Lockdown. Restaurants closed at Zurich airport, Switzerland, on March 17, 2020. The Federal Council has announced that all shops, markets, restaurants, bars as well as entertainment and recreational facilities must close due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Keystone / Alexandra Wey) Keystone / Alexandra Wey
Sihlcity shopping centre in Zurich is empty on March 17 after the government's decision on a lockdown. Restaurants, bars, clubs and many shops will remain closed for at least a month. (KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza) Ennio Leanza/Keystone
An empty classroom in canton Nidwalden, central Switzerland, on March 16. (KEYSTONE/Urs Flüeler) Urs Flueeler
A woman wearing a mask at Zurich Airport on March 14. (KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza) Keystone / Ennio Leanza
A man wears a protection mask in the church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Lugano, near the Italian border, on March 5. (KEYSTONE/Ti-Press/Alessandro Crinari) Keystone / Alessandro Crinari
A view from the coronavirus isolation ward at Lucerne hospital on March 5. (KEYSTONE/Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Children at a school in the village of Stabio, near the Italian border, were given information material on the virus on March 4, (KEYSTONE/Ti-Press/Alessandro Crinari) Keystone / Alessandro Crinari
The number of foreign tourists, especially from China, has dropped significantly since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Seen here is a usually busy street in the city of Lucerne on March 4. (KEYSTONE/Urs Flüeler) Keystone / Urs Flueeler
Carnival goers on March 3 swap their carnival masks for protection masks at the market place in Basel after the authorities had cancelled gatherings. (KEYSTONE/Georgios Kefalas) Keystone / Georgios Kefalas
Magdalena Martullo-Blocher, a parliamentarian from the Swiss People's Party, was reprimanded for defying a ban on masks in the House of Representatives on March 2. (KEYSTONE/Alessandro della Valle) Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
Home Affairs Minister Alain Berset disinfects his hands at the spring session of parliament in Bern on March 2. (KEYSTONE/Alessandro della Valle) Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
Some groups, like this one dressed as virus on March 2, defied a ban on carnival gatherings in the streets of Basel. (KEYSTONE/Georgios Kefalas) Keystone / Georgios Kefalas
The 90th Geneva International Motor Show, pictured on February 28, was cancelled. (KEYSTONE/Salvatore di Nolfi) Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
A crowdless ice hockey match between HC Ambri-Piotta and HC Davos on February 28. (KEYSTONE/Ti-Press/Samuel Golay) Keystone / Samuel Golay
Two employees set up a Covid-19 triage station at Bern's university hospital on February 28. (KEYSTONE/Anthony Anex) Keystone / Anthony Anex
View of abandoned tents after the carnival in Ticino, which had been cancelled owing to reports of coronavirus infections in the canton, on February 27. (KEYSTONE/Ti-Press/Samuel Golay) Keystone / Samuel Golay
Bruce Aylward, leader of the WHO-China joint mission on Covid-19, offers an elbow instead of a handshake at the end of a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on February 25. (KEYSTONE/Salvatore Di Nolfi) Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi
Officials including Daniel Koch (left), head of communicable diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health, catch up on developments during a news conference at the government's media centre in Bern on January 28. (KEYSTONE/Anthony Anex) Keystone / Anthony Anex

Containment measures have since been relaxed and tightened again. On March 12, 2021, the government warned there were signs of a potential third wave. More than 9,400 people in Switzerland (population 8.5 million) have died in connection with Covid-19.

The government plan foresees several stages for its exit strategy based on key factors, including infections, hospital admissions and the so-called reproduction number. Other factors are the spread of new strains of coronavirus and progress of the country’s vaccination programme, which has been delayed due to a shortage of supplies. Additional easing is expected on March 22 if the course of the pandemic allows.