Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Thursday
Find out what's going on in Switzerland today with The Local's short round-up of the news.
More regions of Switzerland’s neighbours added to the quarantine list
Starting on March 8th, Switzerland will place additional regions of Austria and Italy on its high-risk list.
From that date, travellers from Austrian regions of Land Kärnten and Land Niederösterreich, as well as from Regione Abruzzo, Regione Campania, Regione Liguria, Regione Molise and Regione Toscana in Italy, will have to self-quarantine for 10 days after arriving on Switzerland.
Luxembourg will also be added to the list from March 8th.
The complete list of all the high-risk countries is here.
Vaccinated people may be exempted from quarantine
Those who have had their Covid shots should be able to forego the quarantine requirement, according to the Committee on Political Institutions of the Council of States.
The parliamentary body asked the Federal Council to lift the quarantine for this group of people, as “quarantines seriously undermine the fundamental rights of individuals”. This exemption should also apply to others proven not to be contagious, such as people who have recovered from coronavirus, committee members say.
Vaccinated people may be excepted from quarantine. Photo by AFP
READ MORE: UPDATED: What are Switzerland’s new travel and quarantine rules?
Geneva could have outdoor restaurant seating all year round
Geneva officials authorised the expansion of outdoor terraces to enable restaurant owners to open their establishments regardless of season.
This way, customers will not have to sit inside and be exposed to the risk of infection.
Concretely, it will be possible to expand sidewalk terraces by 50 percent of the surface already allowed by municipal regulations, as long as the access to nearby buildings and pedestrian crossings is unencumbered.
Italian town gives border workers vaccine priority
The commune of Viggiù, which lies on the Swiss border, has been classified as a high-risk ‘red’ zone since February 16th.
Local health authorities announced that the entire adult population will be vaccinated against coronavirus, but the priority will be given to those employed in Switzerland.
“A specific vaccination strategy has been defined that takes into consideration the proximity to Switzerland and the high presence of cross-border commuters who can more easily come into contact with variants of the virus ", officials said
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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More regions of Switzerland’s neighbours added to the quarantine list
Starting on March 8th, Switzerland will place additional regions of Austria and Italy on its high-risk list.
From that date, travellers from Austrian regions of Land Kärnten and Land Niederösterreich, as well as from Regione Abruzzo, Regione Campania, Regione Liguria, Regione Molise and Regione Toscana in Italy, will have to self-quarantine for 10 days after arriving on Switzerland.
Luxembourg will also be added to the list from March 8th.
The complete list of all the high-risk countries is here.
Vaccinated people may be exempted from quarantine
Those who have had their Covid shots should be able to forego the quarantine requirement, according to the Committee on Political Institutions of the Council of States.
The parliamentary body asked the Federal Council to lift the quarantine for this group of people, as “quarantines seriously undermine the fundamental rights of individuals”. This exemption should also apply to others proven not to be contagious, such as people who have recovered from coronavirus, committee members say.
Vaccinated people may be excepted from quarantine. Photo by AFP
READ MORE: UPDATED: What are Switzerland’s new travel and quarantine rules?
Geneva could have outdoor restaurant seating all year round
Geneva officials authorised the expansion of outdoor terraces to enable restaurant owners to open their establishments regardless of season.
This way, customers will not have to sit inside and be exposed to the risk of infection.
Concretely, it will be possible to expand sidewalk terraces by 50 percent of the surface already allowed by municipal regulations, as long as the access to nearby buildings and pedestrian crossings is unencumbered.
Italian town gives border workers vaccine priority
The commune of Viggiù, which lies on the Swiss border, has been classified as a high-risk ‘red’ zone since February 16th.
Local health authorities announced that the entire adult population will be vaccinated against coronavirus, but the priority will be given to those employed in Switzerland.
“A specific vaccination strategy has been defined that takes into consideration the proximity to Switzerland and the high presence of cross-border commuters who can more easily come into contact with variants of the virus ", officials said
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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