Yodellers in Switzerland blamed for Covid-19 outbreak
Hospital admissions are rising in Swiss canton Schwyz, where 600 people attended a yodelling musical without wearing masks
The cast of the yodelling musical have rejected blame for a Covid-19 outbreak, which was called one of the worst in Europe. The performances in Schwyz, Switzerland, were attended by 600 people at the end of September – Covid-19 cases have more than doubled to 1,238 since the middle of that month in the region.
The canton has become Switzerland's worst Covid zone, with an infection rate of 408 per 100,000 inhabitants. "It's time we reacted. The explosion in the number of cases in Schwyz is one of the worst in all of Europe," Chief Doctor Reto Nueesch posted online. In a video message, he added: "It's time for you, the population, to react. Wear masks, don't party anymore."
Cast member says accusations are slander
However, a cast member from the musical ‘Forever and Always’, which enforced social distancing but did not require attendees to wear face masks, has dismissed the idea that the yodellers are responsible as ‘pure slander’, Sky News reported. Erwin Bertschy admitted that three other performers had tested positive for Covid-19 five days after the shows, but said the organisers had a ‘protection concept that was adhered to’.
"At the same time, the restaurants were open all night and they were full to the brim," he told Sky News. "But it's easier to blame an external organiser."
An Australian study has suggested that singing can spread Covid-19 via airborne droplets and pose greater risks than talking. A choir singing indoors could saturate the air with infected particles.
"If we don't get a handle on this, we run the risk of getting into a situation that's harder to control," said Bertrand Levrat, General Director of Geneva Hospitals. "We are really at a turning point - things can go both ways."