Coronavirus: Switzerland could place Spain on its list of countries at risk

NOTE: This article is now out of date. Switzerland placed Spain on its quarantine list on August 5th, 2020. Please click here for more information. 

The average number of coronavirus cases in Spain has exceeded 1,900 per day over the past 10 days — a figure which has more than tripled in two weeks. 

And with 3,092 new cases reported on July 31st, Spain is now among Europe's coronavirus hotspots.

For Switzerland's politicians, this is a sign that Spain must now be included on the list of 42 'high-risk' nations and people arriving from there should be subject to the 10-day quarantine requirement.

“It is clear that Spain has to be added to the list and it should be done quickly,” Ruth Humbel, president of the Commission for Social Security and Health, said in an interview with 20 Minuten.

“It would be incomprehensible if the health authorities did not add Spain to the list now,” said Erich Ettlin from Christian Democratic People's Party.

He added that the quarantine should also apply to people who are already in Spain and will be returning to Switzerland shortly. “Anyone going on vacation abroad in the current situation must be aware that they are taking a risk,” Ettlin said.

READ MORE: How to register for self-quarantine in Switzerland 

Jonas Montani, a spokesperson for the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) said the list of high-risk countries is updated every month, “but it can be adjusted earlier if the situation in a given nation deteriorates rapidly”.

It has not yet been decided when Spain will be added to the list and whether the entire country or just the regions most impacted by the pandemic will be included.

Switzerland has mandated the 10-day quarantine from July 6th on arrivals from 42 countries that have more than 60 infections per 100,000 people.

Spain has now reached this number.

Placing Spain on the quarantine list would impact a great number of people, as it is a popular holiday destination for Swiss families. Also, many Spanish citizens live in Switzerland and frequently travel between the two countries.