Restaurants and cafés will progressively close once more across French-speaking Switzerland starting in the canton of Jura on Tuesday 22 December 2020.
On 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to close restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports and leisure facilities from 22 December 2020. However, exceptions were allowed in cantons with R-numbers (reproduction rates) below 1 and 7-day infection rates below the Swiss average. At the most French-speaking cantons met these requirements and decided to keep things open.
However, the epidemiological situation has changed and restaurant and café closures are scheduled across the region. Jura and Bern were the first to close on 22 December 2020 in line with the federal decision. Geneva will follow on Wednesday, 23 December 2020. These cantons were required to act under the federal rules.
Neuchâtel, Vaud, Fribourg and Valais where they’ll close on Saturday, 26 December 2020 at 11pm are not required to close under these rules. However, despite being allowed to keep establishments open, governments in these four cantons have decided to fall into line with their neighbours as part of a move to act together in a coordinated fashion.
The canton of Vaud has made an exception for en piste restaurants in winter resorts along with museums, libraries, and sports centres.
R-numbers in Jura (1.38), Bern (1.06) and Geneva (1.05) were all above 1 on 7 December 2020. In Neuchâtel (0.90), Vaud (0.91), Fribourg (0.92) and Valais (0.93) they were all below 1.
More on this:
Government press release (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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