Swiss brothels have been given the green light to re-open as the country exits lockdown. But you’ll have to stick to ‘safe positions’ and threesomes are banned.
Swiss sex workers have been pushing for an end to the coronavirus lockdown and the association representing Swiss sex workers is hoping the government will approve its plan for ending the industry’s lockdown, including a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.
Switzerland’s adult industry has been one of the country’s heaviest hit due to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. The industry’s lockdown reopening plan, prepared by peak body ProKoRe, includes a list of sex positions which minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus. As reported in Swiss media outlet Watson, the suggested positions include doggy style and cowgirl/rider positions, which the association says minimises the risk of droplet transmission and keeps the distance between faces as large as possible. In addition, rooms will be ventilated for at least 15 minutes after each customer visit, while sheets will also be washed after each visit. Gloves, condoms and disinfectants would also be employed in all adult facilities, while training and information campaigns would be adopted to further reduce the risk of infection.
The association said visits would be kept to a maximum of 15 minutes and that kissing—which was already rare before the lockdown measures came into place—would be discouraged. In order to allow follow-up tracing, customer contact data, including names and phone numbers, will be kept on hand for the following four weeks. ProKoRe said that if the demands are followed, the lockdown restrictions for sex workers may be lifted when the next round of lockdown measures are eased on 8th of June. The association also said that the ban should be lifted as a matter of urgency as it was encouraging illegal sex work to take place across the country, which gives rise to security concerns.
Prostitution in Switzerland A 2018 report into sex work in the city noted that prostitutes are required to pay between 100 to 150 Swiss francs a day to rent a room in a legal brothel from which they can work. However, there are dozens of apartments listed on Airbnb for less than this amount – some of which are used without consent. The trend towards the use of private apartments for sex work runs counter to the intention of rule changes in Bern in 2013 which are designed to protect prostitutes from abuse and exploitation. Prostitution is legal in Switzerland with sex workers required to register with local authorities and pay taxes. But while Bern is currently home to 28 licensed brothels, this number is sinking and there is growing opposition to plans for new establishments.
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