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UPDATED: Which countries are currently on Switzerland’s quarantine list?

Several countries including Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic have been added to Switzerland's quarantine list.

Published: 23 December 2020 15:28 CET
Updated: 12 January 2021 19:41 CET
UPDATED: Which countries are currently on Switzerland's quarantine list?
A empty terminal at Geneva Airport. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

NOTE: Switzerland updated its high-risk country list from February 1st onwards. Please click here for updated information. 

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) updated its mandatory quarantine list on January 12th, 2021. 

Ireland was added to the list with immediate effect, while the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Netherlands and Panama will go on Switzerland's list from Friday, January 15th onwards. 

Ireland's addition to the quarantine list was made with immediate effect due to spiralling infection rates on the Emerald Isle. 

In addition, the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia has been removed, along with Belize. The removal will take effect on January 15th. 

Which countries are on the list now?

Switzerland has a different rule for its neighbours than for countries it does not share a land border with. 

Any country sharing a land border with Switzerland will see regions placed on the list rather than the nation as a whole. 

Therefore, the German state of Sachsen is on the list, along with the Italian region of Veneto. 

Note that the countries in bold will be added to the list on January 15th, while the others are on the list as at January 12th. 

These are: Andorra, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Panama, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The official updated list can be seen here in English. 

How has the list changed over time? 

On December 21st, the United Kingdom and South Africa were added to the list. 

Importantly, the quarantine requirement was backdated to December 14th. 

READ MORE: Switzerland suspends flights with UK over new Covid strain

This is intended in particular to stop travel from these countries for tourism purposes due to a newly detected strain of the virus. 

“All persons who have entered Switzerland from these two countries since December 14th must go into quarantine for 10 days”, the Federal Council said in a statement. 

As of December 19th, the Austrian states of Carinthia, Styria and Upper Austria were removed from the list. 

Those heading to Austria will however be required to quarantine from December 19th. 

UPDATED: What you need to know about Austria's quarantine rules 

On December 19th, French Polynesia, Hungary, Italy’s Emilia Romagna region, Jordan, North Macedonia, Poland and Portugal will be removed from the list. 

What are Switzerland's quarantine rules? 

Anyone required to quarantine must do so for a ten-day period. 

When arriving in Switzerland, you are required to contact the cantonal health authorities within two days. 

Even if you have evidence of a negative test, you will still be required to quarantine for ten days. 

More information is available in English here. 

 

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HEALTH INSURANCE

Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

The Swiss health system is ranked among the best in the world, but some essentials, like glasses, aren't automatically covered by health insurance. That could soon change, however

Published: 16 May 2024 15:06 CEST
Could glasses and contact lenses soon be covered by Swiss health insurance?

Green Party Federal Councillor Katharina Prelicz-Huber revealed in an interview with newspaper 20 Minuten this week that the Federal Parliament had tabled a motion to include prescription glasses and contact lenses in Switzerland’s mandatory health insurance scheme. 

Prelicz-Huber stated: “The purpose of compulsory health insurance is to provide the services you need to get or stay healthy,”

The motion forms part of the legislation that will be voted on during the 2024 summer session of the Federal Council. 

Proposed changes 

According to Switzerland’s peak optician body, 4 in 5 Swiss wear glasses or contact lenses at some point. 

It’s no surprise that statistics repository, Statista, projects the Swiss eyewear industry to be worth €1.37 billion by 2028. 

Currently, glasses and contact lenses are covered for up to 180 francs for children until age eighteen, if they are proscribed by a doctor.

Adults can also claim money back for glasses and contact lenses – however, they must be suffering from one of a short list of specific conditions such as keratoconus – where the cornea is distorted – or severe myopia, otherwise known as near-sightedness.

They must also have been specifically prescribed them by a doctor or optometrist. 

Otherwise, supplemental optical insurance must be purchased in Switzerland to ensure you can recoup the cost. 

Under the Green Party proposal, glasses, contact lenses, and other visual aids would be covered, regardless of age. 

Rising premiums prompt opposition 

Not everybody agrees with the proposal. 

The right-wing SVP has already spoken out against it, with Federal Councillor Diana Gutjahr arguing: “If we seriously want to slow down the burdensome and constantly rising health costs for the benefit of the population, we [must] show the political will not to constantly expand the benefits of compulsory health insurance.”

A spokesman for the the health insurance advocacy group Santesuisse, Matthias Müller, echoed Gutjahr, claiming that insurance constitutes “financing for extraordinary events such as illness.”

“If almost everyone benefits from a certain service, it is no longer an insurance benefit.”

A date for the vote has yet to be announced. 

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