A week after next Monday, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland’s most important economic meeting, will begin in Davos. Several dozen rulers from the Middle Kingdom will still be there, as China introduced corona travel restrictions for its population at the beginning of December.
Looking at the list of exhibitors, it seems that 55 people from China and Hong Kong are currently planning to travel to Davos. These include, for example, Scott Beaumont (51), head of Google in China, Laura Cha (73), head of Hong Kong stock exchange, Hu Shuli (69), publisher of Caixin Media, and Yuanqing Yang (58). President and CEO of computer giant Lenovo.
Around 100 Chinese in Davos
It is not yet clear whether a high-level Chinese government delegation will also fly to Davos. But not all executives and corporate bosses come alone, they often bring escorts with them to support them in their appearance at the WEF.
Roughly an estimated 100 business people are likely to come from China, a country where the coronavirus has intensified since the zero-Kovid policy was abandoned, and an estimated 250 million people have been infected. That’s almost a fifth of the 1.4 billion population.
Many European countries have reacted to the new corona threat from China, and yet one passenger is requesting negative tests even before boarding the plane to Europe from the People’s Republic. Some states have even begun testing the sewers from these planes to learn more about the spread of the virus in China.
Mandatory tests for all
Not so in Switzerland: When asked by Blick, the Federal Public Health Agency, BAG, said they wanted to wait and see if no immediate action was needed. This means that there is no obligation to test people entering Switzerland from China.
DEF organizers are more cautious. At Davos, it is mandatory for all participants to take the exam. And not just for them: Anyone who will be granted official entry to the convention center and other venues next week – the so-called badge – must pass a corona test. Usually within 24 hours of receiving the badge.
If this is positive or omitted, access is automatically blocked. This makes DEF much more strict than official Switzerland. Because the precautionary measures are the same as at the last annual meeting in May 2022. And even then, some corona cases could not be avoided.