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HEALTH

REMINDER: What are the rules for Britons entering Switzerland?

UK nationals are largely restricted from entering Switzerland, with a few exceptions. Here are the rules.

Published: 12 January 2021 19:52 CET
Updated: 10 February 2021 13:05 CET
REMINDER: What are the rules for Britons entering Switzerland?
A couple draped in a Union Jack in Lausanne. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Flights between the UK and Switzerland were grounded on midnight on Sunday, December 20th, due to a new coronavirus strain which has been detected. 

From December 21st, the Swiss government put in place an entry ban on people entering from the United Kingdom and South Africa due to the new strains. 

While as at January 12th flights between the countries are “limited”, entry to Switzerland from the UK is restricted to Swiss citizens or people who hold Swiss residence permits. 

Entry is also restricted for transit passengers. The UK government's website reads: “Travellers arriving from the UK are currently unable to transit Geneva Airport to enter France, unless you hold a residence or cross-border permit for Switzerland”. 

Switzerland considers Britain as a 'high risk' country, meaning all arrivals are subject to a mandatory quarantine. 

On January 12th, Switzerland added Ireland to its mandatory quarantine list.

The full list can be seen at the following link. 

READ MORE: Which countries are currently on Switzerland's quarantine list?

What are Switzerland's quarantine rules? 

Britons with an exemption to enter Switzerland will be required to quarantine. 

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

The Swiss government recommends you keep 1.5 metres distance from people, wear a mask and avoid public transport. 

Information on mask rules can be found here. 

When arriving in Switzerland, you are required to contact the cantonal health authorities within two days. This can be done at the following link. 

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

For ten days after your arrival in Switzerland you must stay in your home or other suitable accommodation without going out.

You are required to avoid contact with other people. 

You may leave quarantine after ten days only if you do not have symptoms. 

The Swiss government has put together detailed quarantine guidance in English which can be found here. 

Anyone who fails to quarantine for a ten-day period will be subject of a fine of up to 10,000 Swiss francs (£8,259). 

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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