ST. GALLEN, Switzerland — Swiss sex workers group ProCoRé over the weekend called for the lifting of a government order that bans prostitution in the country.
Since March 16, Switzerland temporarily banned prostitution as part of measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
ProCoRé, which urged the Swiss government to lift the restrictions as a matter of urgency, said that the current ban was giving rise to illegal sex work and creating safety issues.
Prostitution in the country is legal and regulated, but human trafficking and most forms of pimping are illegal.
As part of a plan to reopen the sex industry, ProCoRé released a list of best practices guidelines earlier this month.
Under ProCoRé’s plan, sexual positions that avoid face-to-face contact, like doggy style and reverse cowgirl, are advisable. Kisses, and other face-related services, are not.
Sessions would be limited to 15 minutes and kept to a strict schedule. Rooms would be aired out for 15 minutes in between clients, and sheets should be washed after every encounter.
Lingerie would be washed with disinfectant detergent in between sessions, under the plan.
ProCoRé also recommended “wearing a mouth and nose cover” for all services.
Contactless payments would be encouraged for customers, who would have to offer their real names for a contact sheet that would be available for up to four weeks to aid with contact-tracing in case someone does get infected.
ProCoRé, in a letter to Swiss government officials, said that the negative effects of the ban on the sex trade are “significant and serious.”
The organization hopes to get the green light for brothels to reopen when the next round of lockdown measures are rolled back on June 8.
“In the light of current developments, we do not see the need for a new restriction on trade and we consider it disproportionate and contrary to the principle of equal treatment,” ProCoRé wrote.
“As with other personal services involving physical contact, which have been authorized since April 27, protective measures can be followed and implemented in the erotic trade.”
