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LIVING IN SWITZERLAND

Switzerland to remove United Kingdom, India and Nepal from Covid variant list

Switzerland will remove Great Britain, India and Nepal from the Covid variant list on Wednesday.

Published: 3 August 2021 18:26 CEST
Switzerland to remove United Kingdom, India and Nepal from Covid variant list
Switzerland will remove Great Britain, India and Nepal from the Covid variant list on Wednesday. Photo: JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP

The Swiss government’s relaxation of travel-related Covid measures has continued, with the Federal Office of Public Health saying on Tuesday it will remove all remaining countries from the “virus variant of concern list”. 

This change will come into effect on August 4th. 

READ MORE: How does a country ever get off Switzerland’s ‘variant’ list?

As at August 3rd, India, Nepal and the United Kingdom are on the list. 

What does the removal of these countries from the list mean? 

Put simply, it makes it easier for people from these countries to come to Switzerland. 

This applies both to Swiss citizens and residents who may have travelled to these countries, as well as people from these countries who are visiting Switzerland for various reasons. 

Prior to the change, people arriving from these areas who have been vaccinated within the past 12 months or recovered from Covid within the past six months — and can prove it — can enter Switzerland without any obligation to test or quarantine.

All others arriving from these areas had to show a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result and then go into quarantine. 

From August 4th, the same rules will apply to people from these countries as elsewhere. 

READ MORE: Who can enter Switzerland right now? 

Those who are vaccinated or recovered from the virus (and can prove it) can now enter without tests or quarantine. 

If you have not been vaccinated or recovered from the virus, you will need to present a negative PCR test (not older than 72 hours) or a negative rapid antigen test (not older than 48 hours) before boarding your flight to Switzerland. 

More information is available at the following official government page. 

Anyone wanting to enter Switzerland can use this official Swiss government tool to work out if they can – and what rules they must comply with. 

‘Travelcheck’: This tool shows you what you need to enter Switzerland

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TRAVEL NEWS

Sunshine and traffic jams: What to expect in Switzerland over Pentecost weekend

Another long weekend is ahead, which means heavier-than-usual traffic on Swiss roads and in the air, although the wether forecast is positive. Here’s what you should know.

Published: 26 May 2023 10:13 CEST
Sunshine and traffic jams: What to expect in Switzerland over Pentecost weekend

As is the case before every public holiday, traffic jams are to be expected on roads leading to the mountains or to other popular tourist destinations, both in Switzerland and abroad.   

The government has issued a list of places where bottlenecks and other disruptions are most likely to happen.

Generally, slow traffic / bottlenecks are most likely on these roads:

Highways

A1, Harkingen – Wangen a.A.
A1, Aarau-East – Birrfeld
A1/A6, Bern region
A1, Geneva (Bardonnex border post)
A9, Lausanne region
A2/A3, Basel
A2, Diegten – Harkingen
A2/A14, Lucerne region (from Stans-Nord / in the direction of return)
A2, Erstfeld – Biasca (Gothard road tunnel)
A2, Lugano-Mendrisio
A2, Chiasso (border post towards Italy)
A3, Walenstadt-Reichenburg
A6, Bern – Thun
A8, Brienz – Interlaken – Spiez
A9, Vevey-Martigny
A12 Châtel-St-Denis – La Veyre / Vevey interchange
A13, Sarganserland – Thusis-South
A13, Andeer-Mesocco
A13, Bellinzona-Nord – Reichenau
A15, North Uster – East Uster; between Hinwil and the Reichenburg interchange over several sections

Main roads

Spiez – Kandersteg (in the direction of departures)
Gampel – Goppenstein (in the direction of the returns)
Raron – Brig
Various main roads in the Bernese Oberland, Graubünden and Valais side valleys, and other border crossings
H338, Hirzel – Sihbrugg
H340, Hinwil – Aathal

In the direction of departures, waiting times are to be expected between 8am and 4pm at the transhipment stations Furka in Realp, Lötschberg in Kandersteg and Vereina in Klosters-Selfranga.

In the return direction, waiting times will be possible between 11am and 6pm in Oberwald (Furka), Goppenstein (Lötschberg) and Lavin-Saglians (Vereina).

Authorities are also asking motorists, as they do prior to any public holiday travel period, not to stray off motorways but to stay the course even in traffic jams. That’s because making such detours “overloads the secondary road network to the point of paralysis of traffic, and greatly increases the risk of accidents for all road users.”

What about the airports?

All three of Switzerland’s international airports — Zurich, Geneva, and Basel — typically experience an onslaught on passengers at this time of the year..

Therefore, expect longer-than-usual wait times, arriving early enough to make it through check-in and security lines.

A bit of good news…

The weather forecast for the holiday weekend is great.

It will be mostly sunny, with temperatures in all regions reaching mid-20C.

MeteoSwiss weather service

Which cantons are not off on Monday?

Pentecost (also known as Whit Monday) is a public holiday in most Swiss cantons.

The only ones that don’t celebrate it (and where Monday is a regular work day) are Neuchâtel, Solothurn, Valais, and Zug.

READ ALSO: When are the Swiss public holidays in your canton in 2023?

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