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COVID-19

Switzerland to relax arrival test rules from Monday

The Swiss government on Friday announced a range of new Covid measures, while also relaxing the rules for arrival relating to testing.

Published: 17 December 2021 18:39 CET
Swiss Airlines passenger plane are parked at Geneva international airport. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
Swiss Airlines passenger plane are parked at Geneva international airport. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Switzerland will tighten Covid measures amid a worsening situation in the country, the government announced on Friday afternoon.

The measures will apply from Monday, December 20th. 

Among the measures, which include stricter rules for bars and restaurants, nightclubs, discos and private events, is a relaxation of the current rules relating to arrivals in the country. 

From December 20th, the entry rules will be relaxed, whereby people only need to show one test on entry (either PCR or antigen).

The PCR test can be up to 72 hours old, the antigen test must be less than 24 hours old.

READ MORE: Switzerland announces new Covid measures

The current rules (i.e. before the announcement) mandated that a PCR test must be shown. 

The rule whereby arrivals must show another test 4-7 days after arriving will be relaxed for vaccinated and recovered people. 

The measures are in place until at least January 24th, 2022, although as has been the case previously, they are subject to extension should the Covid situation warrant it. 

Highest ever ICU utilisation

As of Monday, Switzerland had at least 300 Covid patients in intensive care, which it sees as a critical development

. “This figure will increase to 350 or 400 by the end of the year,” the statement said.

More than 66 percent of Switzerland’s population of 8.6 million has been vaccinated, with Pfizer and Moderna jabs authorised for use in the country.

Click here for the official statement from the federal government. 

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COVID-19

What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

Coronavirus infections are on the rise again, with Swiss health officials and epidemiologists expressing concern over the possible evolution of the disease.

Published: 15 November 2023 15:32 CET
What does the increase in the number of Covid cases in Switzerland mean?

While the worst of the Covid pandemic is long over, and experts don’t expect it to re-emerge with the same strength and health consequences as it had in 2020, new cases have been reported in the past weeks.

Wastewater analysis, one of the means employed by health officials to measure the presence of coronavirus, indicates a viral load that is at least five times higher than usual, with values “now almost as high as in some previous Omicron-related waves,” Christoph Ort, spokesperson for Eawag Institute, which traces Covid viruses in 14 wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland, told the media.

What does this mean?

According to Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the most common sub-variant in Switzerland right now is the highly transmissible XBB, also known as ‘Kraken.’

The Eris and Pirola variants, which circulated in the summer and early fall are also still present.

While none is nearly as dangerous (at least for most people) as the early Alpha and Delta viruses, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the early stages of the pandemic, there is a reason for concern nevertheless.

“It’s a start of a small wave,” said Rudolf Hauri, head of the Cantonal Doctors’ Association.

“More people are being admitted to hospitals again with, or because of, coronavirus. There are also new cases in intensive care units, but these are generally people with a medical history.”

Should you be worried?
 
While the number of people with serious Covid-related complications is not expected to be as high as previously, the rise in the number of infections should not be trivialised either, infectious disease specialists say.
 
This is especially important for people in the high-risk category — those over 65 or suffering from chronic illnesses — who can get quite sick if infected with the new variants, according to FOPH.
 
This is all the more important as the flu season is about to begin in Switzerland as well, and the confluence of both illnesses, plus other respiratory viruses that typically circulate during the winter, can be very risky.
 
What can you do to protect yourself?
 
Other than adopting the same protective measures as those during the pandemic — that is, washing hands, avoiding close contacts and crowded spaces, and wearing masks where needed — health officials also recommend top-up shots, for both Covid and flu.

READ ALSO: Who should get top-up Covid and flu jabs in Switzerland?

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