The Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakech, Morocco. Countries have scrambled to find a solution for stranded citizens in the tourism-popular country.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Swiss citizens stranded in Morocco due to Covid-19 travel restrictions will be able to fly home from Tuesday, the foreign ministry has announced. It has also urged all nationals currently travelling abroad to try to get home as soon as possible.
Last Saturday hundreds of Swiss travellers found themselves stuck when Morocco suspended flights to and from 25 countries, including the Alpine nation.
Speaking at a press conference in Bern on Tuesday, Peter Lenz of the foreign ministry said that diplomatic efforts had been successful and that, from Tuesday, five commercial flights can go ahead. More will follow in the next days, he said.
Costs must however be borne by the travellers themselves; Lenz said that no there was no legal basis for the state to organise or finance flights in such a situation. That said, diplomatic and indirect support is available.
Other situations, similar to that in Morocco, will be regularly monitored by the foreign ministry, and if it comes to a situation where citizens are unable to travel by land or pay their way, the ministry will consider alternative options.
Lenz also reiterated the note sounded by the government on Monday, when it called on Swiss citizens currently travelling abroad to try to return home as soon as possible, to avoid becoming stuck in case of further closing of borders.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
Eurovision and bleak world situation are top themes at Basel carnival
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest and the gloomy global situation are among the main themes of Basel Fasnacht (carnival) this year.
Prices of Swiss investment properties continue to rise despite stagnating rents
This content was published on
Although rents in Switzerland stagnated or fell in the final quarter of last year, prices for investment properties continued to rise. Both apartment buildings and office properties have become more expensive.
Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
This content was published on
Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
This content was published on
Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss International Air Lines hopes to receive state aid over coronavirus
This content was published on
The boss of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) says he hopes the Swiss state will step in to help it deal with the impact of the novel coronavirus.
Serbia closes borders to coronavirus-affected states, including Switzerland
This content was published on
Serbia has closed its borders for travellers from countries most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, including Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.