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‘Sushi smugglers’: Why food deliveries in this Swiss-Italian border town are causing havoc

Authorities in a small Ticino town are at a loss on how to stop customers in Switzerland from ordering sushi from nearby restaurants in Italy.

Published: 19 February 2021 11:05 CET
Updated: 21 February 2021 09:41 CET
'Sushi smugglers': Why food deliveries in this Swiss-Italian border town are causing havoc
This photo shows Swiss customers waiting at the border for sushi delivery from Italy. Photo by Commune di Monteggio

Good sushi is expensive in Ticino, but with borders closed, a trip to Italy for lunch is not really on the menu.

As a result, local residents order the dish online from the nearby Italian town of Ponte Tresa and have it delivered at the border.

While delivery drivers are not allowed to cross into Switzerland to make the delivery, they wait on the border to hand the orders over. 

The ensuing congestion at the border creates “a dangerous, unacceptable and intolerable situation” particularly on weekends, according to Piero Marchesi, mayor of Monteggio, a Swiss municipality located on the border.

In an interview with Ticino Online, Marchesi spoke of “rudeness, chaos of traffic, gatherings and illegal parking” as Swiss customers wait to pick up their orders from Italy. 

 

 

 

“We ask the cantonal and municipal police to coordinate with the border guards to find a solution. I can't go there to direct traffic”, he said.

The customs of Ponte Cremenaga, Fornasette and Ponte Tresa have become a meeting point for customers picking up their food orders from Italy.

In response to Marchesi’s complaints, the Federal Customs Administration (AFD) confirmed that “the border areas, for various reasons related to safety and traffic aspects, are not suitable to be used for exchange of goods”.

 

 

 

For his part, Norman Gobbi, president of the canton’s Council of State said that “there are several services that offer sushi in the Ticino area”.

Meanwhile, Ticino officials asked Bern to introduce border restrictions to limit non-essential traffic to and from Italy, a request that has not yet been answered by federal authorities.

READ MORE: Why are cross-border workers exempted from Switzerland’s new travel restrictions? 

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TRAVEL

Denmark tightens rules on travel from border regions

The Ministry of Justice has announced that it will introduce stricter rules on travel from regions bordering Denmark.

Published: 16 February 2021 16:07 CET
Denmark tightens rules on travel from border regions
File photo: Nils Meilvang/Ritzau Scanpix

The decision has been taken due to concerns over the risk of spread of the more infectious B1351 variant of Covid-19, the ministry said in a statement.

Residents in border regions have faced more flexible entry requirements than others to ease movement in and out of the country for work, business, study or private matters.

READ ALSO: These are Denmark's current Covid-19 travel restrictions

But authorities now believe there is an increased risk of spread of the B1531 variant, which was first detected in South Africa, via border areas.

As such, people entering Denmark from Schleswig-Holstein (Germany) and Skåne, Halland, Västra Götaland and Blekinge (Sweden) must have a ‘valid' reason for travel and a negative Covid-19 test taken with the last 72 hours. Previously, a test up to a week old was allowed.

The new requirement will take effect from Wednesday February 17th.

In addition to the requirement for a recent, negative Covid-19 test, people travelling into Denmark from abroad are required to take a new Covid-19 test within 24 hours of arrival and to self-quarantine for ten days, according to the current travel restrictions, which have been in place since February 7th.

However, exemptions to the entry test and quarantine requirements apply for people who live in Denmark but work or provide services in border regions, or visit loved ones there.

These exemptions remain in place after February 17th but will now require a negative test less than 72 hours old on entry (changed from the previous 7 days). 

“It is important that people who live and work in the border regions can cross the borders and the government understands this. But it is also important to protect Denmark against virus variants that can create greater uncertainty in the epidemic. That’s why it is necessary to tighten the requirements for testing for people who move around the border areas,” health minister Magnus Heunicke said in the statement.

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