A recently published survey shows a marked rise in the number willing to get vaccinated in Switzerland, according to Blick. The survey by the University of Zurich on vaccination attitudes, suggests the percentage likely or very likely to get vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland has risen from 41% to 50%. The latest round […]
Covid: federal restrictions set to run until end of February in all cantons
With an infection rate that refuses to budge, Switzerland’s federal government decided today it would like to extend the current restrictions until the end of February 2021. It also announced it would remove cantonal exceptions and apply federal restrictions universally across the whole country from 9 January 2021. The Federal Council plans to discuss extending […]
Covid: fast-spreading UK variant detected in seven Swiss cantons
The fast spreading variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in the UK has now been detected in seven Swiss cantons, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), reported RTS. So far 28 people in Switzerland have tested positive for the new UK variant, said Virginie Masserey of the FOPH. The variant has been […]
Covid: restrictions tightened in western Switzerland
Governments in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud and Valais recently tightened Covid rules as required by the federal government. On 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council tightened restrictions to fight against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Under the federal rules Switzerland’s cantons were allowed to keep certain things open provided the reproduction rate remained […]
Errors made managing pandemic, admits new Swiss president
According to RTS, Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s president since 1 January 2021, told the newspaper SonntagsBlick, that between July and September the government underestimated the pandemic. “We thought we could contain the virus but in reality we were far from doing so”, he said. Not only politicians but also many specialists were surprised by the sudden […]
Covid: Swiss production of Moderna vaccine to start
While Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug authorising agency, has yet to approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, Swiss authorities have given Swiss-based Lonza Group a green light to start manufacturing the product at a plant in Switzerland, according to the SonntagsZeitung. Moderna’s mRNA vaccine was the second to be approved by regulators in the US after the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine […]
Covid: 9,665 new cases over 4 days in Switzerland
Over the 4 days to 4 January 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 9,665 new cases and 189 deaths bringing Switzerland’s Covid-19 death toll to 7,831 (confirmed 7,271). On 4 January 2021, Switzerland’s 14-day infection rate was 540 per 100,000. Over the last 4 days, 63,665 tests were conducted with test positivity of 15%. The […]
Covid: negative test to enter France from Switzerland only required if resident in France
On 19 December 2020, the French government advised against French residents travelling to Switzerland to ski and introduced rules that made returning difficult, including a requirement to show a negative Covid-19 test less than 72 hours old or to quarantine on arrival. The rule covered all those entering France from the cantons of Graubünden, Jura, […]
Covid: we were too optimistic after first wave, said Swiss health minister
In a broadcast on Swiss broadcaster SRF over the weekend, Alain Berset, Switzerland’s health minister said the government was too optimistic after the first wave. “We felt the worst was over, which was an error”, said the minister. In the broadcast, Berset talked of the high level of strain he felt during the first wave. […]
Covid: UK tourists break Covid quarantine in Verbier
Shortly after the UK announced it was struggling to contain a new faster spreading variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Swiss government announced a backdated 10-day quarantine requirement for UK arrivals. This affected tourists from the UK already in the winter resort of Verbier. Some media, including the BBC, reported that 420 UK tourists, some […]
