Cully Jazz Festival has just announced that will have to cancel this year's music festival due to the current Swiss government ban on gatherings of 1,000 people or more, over concerns around the coronavirus. The festival, which was due to take place from 27th March to the 4th April, is set in the gorgeous lakeside village of Cully. This will be a real blow to the organisers, 70% of the finance of the festival comes via ticket sales and the festival's insurance does not cover the costs of cancellation in the case of "force majeure". For those who have bought tickets to concerts, there will be a "remboursement" section coming up on the website soon.

Events cancelled.  Paléo line-up postponed. Suggestions for local walks. Due to the current Covid-19 situation, many events in Nyon and the surrounding area have been cancelled , from the Green Film Festival (which was due to take place this weekend), to the cancellation of special cruises on the CGN ferries. Local schools have been closed, sporting fixtures have been postponed, La Garenne zoo  and other venues are now closed. Nyon public library is closed until the 30th April. Many music venues have also announced they are closing until the 30th April, even the line up for Paléo (originally planned to be revealed on the 23rd March), has been postponed until May 5th. Tickets will now go on sale on May 13th at noon. More information about the emergency measures that Switzerland has put in place, see this article on Swiss Info here However, the weather forecast for Nyon over the next few days is very good, with lots of sun and warm temperatures, so even though events have been cancelled, we can still *get out and enjoy the scenery. La Côte tourism has an App which recommends lots of walks in the area. See previous article here.  Nyon council has also produced a map of suggested walks around the town. The government has not yet closed down restaurants or bars but it has limited access to a maximum of 50 people at any one time. *keep in mind, the WHO guidelines for social distancing Photo below - the Protection Civile were providing advice on Coronavirus to members of the public at the Saturday market in Nyon today.

Nyon was very quiet early this morning, Tuesday March 17th 2020. Most shops were closed apart from the town's bakeries, butchers, tobacconists, supermarkets and pharmacies. Some of these establishments have imposed restrictions on how many customers are allowed inside their premises at any one time. The supermarket is open in Manor (the rest of the store is taped off!) Please note: The Post Office near the railway station is temporarily closed, however the branch in 2 Champ-Colin is open. See poster below. The Police station in the centre of the town is also closed until the 30th April. For more details see link here The gendarmerie are now checking the documents of the commuters coming into Nyon on the CGN ferries.  See current F ederal Government Measures link here. There are now new restrictions at Geneva Airport. Only passengers holding a valid ticket on a confirmed flight will be allowed to enter the airport. No other accompanying person or passenger whose flight has been cancelled will be allowed to enter the terminal. Here in Nyon, although the streets were quiet this morning, the council workmen and women were tending to the town's parks and garden and cleaning the streets to make it lovely for us all.

Nyon Région Tourisme has compiled a list of restaurants, food outlets and shops that are currently offering home delivery. From sushi bars to pizza restaurants, an artisanal chocolate maker and more, this (non-exhaustive) list is helpful if you want to order in! It also goes some way to help local small businesses to continue trading during these difficult times.

A new Facebook page  called Coronavirus Nyon Solidarité Entreaide has been created for volunteers who want to give help during this Coronavirus lockdown period, and for members of the public to receive help. There are currently around 9-10 people working on the page, volunteers can offer their help or ask for help. This can be anything from offering to help citizens with shopping, taking recycling to the déchetterie to dog walking. If any readers themselves are not able to go out themselves, but would still like to volunteer, they can do so by helping online. Note to parents of children in the local Swiss school system . If you are struggling to help with your children’s homework, or are not clear about the work your children have been given, the group hopes to create a dedicated education section on the site in which parents can call and speak to someone on a one-to-one basis. The groups hopes to build up as many volunteers as possible and build a data base of help, so do feel free to volunteer your services, readers are welcome to do this in English. Any questions? Contact Niall.  Email n@macpherson.ch    Niall speaks fluent English.

Give Blood - Tuesday 24 and Weds 25th March, Salle Communale de Nyon, As we go about ensuring our cupboards have enough essential supplies, public health officials also need to ensure that stocks of essential medical supplies are adequate to meet evolving public health challenges. Among the most precious of these supplies are blood products. Residents of the Nyon - La Côte regions have an important opportunity to contribute to public health readiness by donating blood on Tuesday 24 March from 12:00-19:30 and Wednesday 25th from 15:00-19:30 at the Salle Communale de Nyon, 4 rue des Marchandises. The Samaritains de Nyon and the Swiss Red Cross, in conjunction with the regional blood transfusion services, urge you to consider the precious gift of donating blood. Frequently Asked Questions In normal circumstances who is eligible to donate blood? In principle, any healthy person between the ages of 18 and 60 who weighs more than 50 kg and without any of the symptoms outlined below is able and encouraged to donate blood. For more information click here Is COVID-19 transmitted by blood? For COVID-19, no transmission by blood or other substances of human origin has been documented or described. This also applies to the other two corona viruses that have emerged in the last two decades (SARS and MERS-CoV). Who should not  consider blood donation at this time? Would-be donors who have flu-like symptoms, including fever, coughing, sneezing are not authorised to donate blood at this time and are requested to avoid coming to the Nyon blood donation venue on 24 March. Would-be donors who have a confirmed COVID-19 infection, are not authorised to donate blood until at least 1 month after their complete recovery from the infection. Would-be donors who may have had exposure to COVID- 19 due to contact with person(s) who have confirmed COVID-19 infections are suspended from donating blood for 14 days. Would-be donors who have recently travelled to countries with COVID-19 outbreaks must delay blood donation according to the recommendations relative to the country where they have travelled. Would-be donors who have spent more than a total of 6 months anywhere in the United Kingdom between 01.01.1980 and 31.12.1996 are not eligible to donate blood in Switzerland. because of the possible risk of transmitting the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Click here for more information on donor restrictions. Is the current supply of blood products sufficient? At present, the storage of the available blood reserves is in the normal range. Nevertheless, it is very important that blood is still donated. Does the Transfusion Suisse CRS have a pandemic response plan? In the event of a wide-spread epidemic of COVID-19, Transfusion Suisse CRS has a prepared pandemic response plan. The plan guarantees that Transfusion Suisse CRS will be able to take the necessary measures, in collaboration with the 11 regional Transfusion Services, to assure the provision of blood products in Switzerland. The current situation does not require activation of this plan. Photo on banner headline courtesy -  Transfusion interrégionale,

Visions du Réel  due to place from the 24th April to the 2nd of May will still go ahead in 2020, but this year it will be an online edition. If you are new to Nyon, Visions du Réel is one of Switzerland's main documentary film festivals.  Films are screened (most with English subtitles) in many different venues across the town, a temporary restaurant and bar are erected near the Salle Communale for both the general public and film goers, and the festival attracts thousands of visitors to Nyon. Photo above - one of the temporary festival bars in Nyon at a previous festival. It is an important date in the calendar for film professionals too. Many films are bought and sold by TV channels, TV stations cinemas, and other festivals. Following the decisions adopted by the Federal Council and the Canton of Vaud on 13 March banning public gatherings and closing all cinemas until April 30, Visions du Réel has had to rethink the format for its 51st edition. The festival will still go ahead in an alternative and original formula on the internet. Competition films will be on on dedicated platforms, over a limited period of time and with a limited number of virtual seats. More details to follow!  The complete programme will be online on the 30th March.

A note to readers that although the physical council offices of Nyon council are currently closed, Nyon council can still answer all administrative questions on the free phone number  0800 529 463  or by email at  ville@nyon.ch . More information on this pdf (in English here) click here Recycling Centre open (with restrictions) The déchèterie is open at the usual times, however residents are requested to visit in only in case of strict necessity. A system of access to a maximum of 3 vehicles has been implemented so waiting time can be long. It is imperative that children stay in the car. Employees are no longer allowed to help you unload your waste. The distance of 2 metres between people must be respected. More information - click here

The big magnolia tree on the Quai Louis-Bonnard (near the lake road near the Musée du Léman in Nyon), is currently in bloom and looking magnificent. Note: The Living in Nyon editor was careful with social distancing on this short walk around town! Spring flowers around the town

Many local events are on hold or have been cancelled in the past few weeks, including March's monthly flea market in Nyon, however, not everything has come to a halt. The fishermen are still going out each day to bring us fresh fish from the lake. The fishermen's huts along the lakeside are open and selling fish on site. We hope to publish more info in the next few days on local businesses that are still open in the Nyon area. Meanwhile, Nyon is quiet and waiting for the Spring/Summer season to begin. See photos below. There were just three commuters on the 09:00 ferry from France this morning. A sign of the times.

Local winegrowers in the Nyon and la Côte area are in a difficult situation right now, 75% of their turnover depends on the hotel and restaurant sector, which is virtually at a standstill due to the current Coronavirus confinement. One idea of how you can help can help them is by ordering a few bottles from local producers, most of these will deliver to your home . Check out the  Domaine de la Colombière in Féchy (Raymond Paccot) (minimum order 6 bottles) the Frères Dutruy in Founex (minimum order 12 bottles) and many other wine producers in the local area. Note - Bibiovino in the centre of town (see our article about this shop that sells wine in a box ) also has a small selection of Swiss wine and is open for business. Wine in a box will be delivered by the post office! Or, if you can get to the supermarket yourself, why not pop a bottle of Swiss wine in your panier/chariot to help the local growers? Alexandre , the artisanal chocolate maker in 12, Rue de Collège in Nyon is also open for business. This lovely little shop produces some delicious chocolate, and currently has lot of fabulous chocolate Easter lapins/ bunnies for sale. It's a small shop so they are operating a sensible social distancing policy, they even have the shop door permanently open so no-one needs to touch the door handle!  They will also deliver to your home  (CHF 7 delivery charge minimum order CHF 30). The Italian Delicatessen (Viale d'Italia) in Grande Rue 18, run by the famous "Josephine" is also open in Nyon for business. Their home made goods are delicious, see their Facebook site here.    Although there currently isn't the full range of fresh products on sale, the Living in Nyon editor still managed to source some artichokes in garlic oil and some home made ravioli on Friday morning! Finally, the Circle du Thé (the tea shop in Nyon) is also offering a home delivery service.

Thanks to La Côte newspaper for publishing these useful numbers at the front of its paper each day during the current Covid-19 period. "Restez Chez Vous", means, "Stay at Home". If you are wondering whether you should call your doctor or go to a medical facility if you think you are infected, or if you want to know if your child is at risk, then the  Coronacheck.ch website has a tool which you can use to assess your risk (or that of your child) and understand how to react accordingly. The website is in French, English and many other languages. La Côte newspaper Note, the Living in Nyon column in English continues to be published in La Côte newspaper each Friday. The column is a light-hearted look at life living in the Nyon and la Côte region. The paper is available in newsagents and also online. Useful websites Here are two useful sites for updates on Coronavirus: The Federal Office of Public Health Swiss Info   currently has two interesting articles online, one entitled,  "Should all Swiss be wearing face masks?"   and "Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland". Local TV Don't forget Nyon Région TV!  This local TV station is still producing programmes and keeping us informed of what is happening locally. Cholera Cake Did you know there is a dish called "Cholera Cake" which was invented during the cholera epidemic in the 1830’s? It's made up of a combination of various leftovers such as potatoes, onion, apples, bacon, leek and cheese. Read more about it here on the Newly Swissed  website under the section "21 Swiss Foods you need to try in your lifetime".