Swiss cantons want quicker phase-out of Covid curbs
The majority of Switzerland’s 26 cantons want existing restrictions to be eased by the end of February instead of a month later as proposed by the government.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ac
Español
es
Los cantones suizos prefieren reducción más rápida de restricciones
The cantons were generally in agreement with the measures to combat the coronavirus that the government put out for consultation until Monday. However, most want the measures to be extended only until the end of February, not the end of March as originally proposed.
Since December 20, only people who have been vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 can enter restaurants, cultural, sporting and leisure venues and attend indoor events (the so-called 2G rule). A requirement to work from home has also been reintroduced. Private gatherings are limited to ten people if there is one person from age 16 present who is unvaccinated or has not recovered from Covid-19.
Certificates, testing and quarantines
The cantons also welcomed the government’s proposal to reduce the validity of the vaccination and recovery certificate from 12 to nine months from February 1. This should bring Switzerland into line with the European standard. However, the cantons wanted a grace period to allow people enough time to get a booster dose and for the healthcare system to deal with a significant increase in demand.
As far as testing is concerned, cantons wanted access to tests to be prioritised for healthcare workers and those with symptoms. Labs are currently overloaded with demand.
Some cantons were in favour of ending quarantine requirements for those who did not test positive for Covid-19. However, they were very much in favour of self-isolating rules for those who test positive.
Universities, workplace and tourism
It was not just cantons that shared their views during the consultation period. The tertiary education umbrella body Swissuniversities – along with the cantons – rejected the idea of distance learning for university students. A large proportion of students have been vaccinated and the protection plans put in place by the various universities have proved effective, according to the Swiss Students’ Union.
The business sector in general has been quite critical of the extension of government measures until March 31. The Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises wrote in its consultation response that there was no evidence to justify the continuation of the existing measures. In particular, it wanted the home office obligation to be abolished immediately.
The cantons were also in favour of people who have been vaccinated or recovered to no longer have to present a negative test when entering Switzerland. The Swiss Tourism Federation believes that travel restrictions are no longer necessary since there is a higher incidence of the Omicron variant in Switzerland than in the tourists’ countries.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Sylvain Saudan, ‘skier of the impossible’, dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
This content was published on
Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
This content was published on
The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
This content was published on
The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
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
Covid-19: Switzerland tightens restrictions for the unvaccinated
This content was published on
Switzerland to restrict access to restaurants, bars, cultural and sports facilities to vaccinated people or those recently recovered from infection.
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.