Thousands of people attended a huge, illegal outdoor party in Bern over the weekend, prompting noise complaints and eventual police intervention. The party took place around the Reitschule, a cultural centre hosting eclectic arts events, from Saturday daytime until Sunday morning, when police seized the soundsystem.
The event also prompted concerns over the spread of coronavirus, as photos and video footage published on local news websites showed the partygoers bunched close together and few, if any, wearing protective face masks.
Although many nightclubs in Switzerland are now reopening, they must follow strict safety measures and cap the number of people at 1,000, with that total split into smaller groups. People must also leave their contact details with venues they visit, a system which helped the Flamingo Club in Zurich trace and contact clubbers from an event that was found to have been attended by someone who later tested positive for Covid-19.
As a result of the so-called ‘super-spreader’, around 300 guests and staff who were at the club on the night were ordered into quarantine by Swiss authorities for ten days from June 27.