On Thursday, the EU Commission confirmed that the Swiss certificate – which shows if the holder has been vaccinated, tested, or recovered from Covid-19 – will be recognised as equivalent to the Europe-wide certificate, which has been in effect since July 1.
Switzerland is the first country outside the EU and the EEA to become part of the European travel area, the Commission said.
Theoretically, Swiss travellers will now be able to move around Europe without having to undergo further testing or quarantine regimes in the place they visit. EU travellers to Switzerland will also find life easier.
“This will let EU and Swiss citizens travel more freely, and in full security this summer,” wrote EU Commissioner Didier Reynders on Thursday.
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Data ‘light’ Covid-19 certificate to launch in Switzerland
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A new type of Covid-19 certificate will be available in Switzerland from next month that hides personal health data from prying eyes.
In practice, however, different rules and conditions still exist in different countries.
For example, there is no standardised definition of how long a PCR test remains valid and there is no agreement on how soon after a second vaccination dose a person becomes “safe”, or how long a vaccine’s protection lasts. Some EU states also haven’t yet set up the necessary infrastructure to introduce the certificate and are still in a “transition phase”.
EU countries also retain the right to restrict travellers from regions they deem to be “risk zones” owing to higher rates of coronavirus infections, or a higher prevalence of more contagious strains, like the Delta variant.
And beyond travel, once you get into the other countries, there are different attitudes to whether or not the Covid certificate is needed to get into restaurants, concerts, or large gatherings.
In Switzerland, for example, while the certificate will be required for events of over 10,000 people, for smaller concerts it’s left to the discretion of the organiser.
In Switzerland, over 3.5 million vaccinated people have already received a Covid certificate. Some 88,000 got one after having recovered from the disease.
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Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
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An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno
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The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa from 2026.
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
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The Swiss armed forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000 as of March 1, 2024. This exceeds the upper limit of 140,000 specified in the army organisation by 5%.
More than 400,000 cross-border commuters now work in Switzerland
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More than half of all cross-border commuters were resident in France (around 57%). Large proportions also lived in Italy (23%) and Germany (around 16%).
Amherd and von der Leyen discuss ongoing Swiss-EU negotiations
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Swiss President Viola Amherd and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have met and talked about the ongoing negotiations between Bern and Brussels.
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One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.
Girls in female-dominated classes earn more later on
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At the age of 30, women from school classes with a 55% share of girls earn $350 more per year than women from classes with a 45% share of girls.
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Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.
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