On 27 May 2021, the UK was added Switzerland’s list of risk countries. This means that anyone arriving in Switzerland from the UK from 6pm on Thursday must quarantine upon arrival, with a few exceptions. The UK was added to the Federal Office of Public Health’s (FOPH) list of countries with a worrying variant, alongside […]
Only vaccinated to get Covid certificates before end June in Switzerland
Initially, in Switzerland, only those who have been vaccinated will get a Covid certificate. Those who have received a negative test result or have been infected and recovered will have to wait, according to a report in the TagesAnzeiger. This information was later confirmed by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), according to RTS. […]
Italy drops quarantine requirement for Switzerland and rest of Europe
On 14 May 2021, Roberto Speranza, Italy’s minister of health, signed an ordinance removing the 5-day quarantine requirement for travellers arriving in Italy from the EU and Schengen zone, which includes Switzerland. The change, which also extends to travellers from the UK and Israel, will take effect from 16 May 2021. Travellers to Italy from […]
Christmas traffic down 84% at Geneva airport
Normally Geneva airport is overrun with passengers during the Christmas period. This year there were 84% fewer passengers than last year, according to RTS. Between 23 and 27 December 2020, there were around 47,000 passengers, down from the 300,000 that passed through the airport during the same period in 2019. The largest number of passengers […]
Switzerland adds 14 more regions to its compulsory quarantine list
On 9 October 2020, Switzerland added 14 new regions to its quarantine list effective from 12 October 2020. People entering Switzerland from an additional 14 nations/regions must now quarantine for 10 days on arrival in Switzerland. On 9 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) added the following places to its list: Land […]
Switzerland adds 18 more regions to its quarantine list
Today, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) added 18 regions to its compulsory quarantine list. Anyone arriving in Switzerland from these place from 28 September 2020 will be required by law to quarantine for 10 days. From 14 September 2020, Switzerland shifted from a system of listing entire countries to one which lists whole […]
New overnight trains planned between Switzerland and Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona
Swiss Rail and ÖBB, the federal train operator in Austria, announced plans this week to join forces to launch new overnight train links. The planned services will include overnight trains between Zurich and Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona. Demand for such services is on the rise, partly driven by climate change concerns. Taking a train to […]
Swiss Rail loses a third of passengers due to coronavirus
Recently published figures show rail passenger numbers dropped by more than a third during the first half of 2020. During this period an average of 810,000 passengers a day traveled on the network, a number more than a third less than during the first half of 2019 when there was 1.29 million. The number of […]
Coronavirus: country of departure now counts, not stopover country
The Swiss government has closed a Covid-19 travel loophole. From 31 August 2020, it will no longer be possible to skirt Switzerland’s entry restrictions by arriving in Switzerland from a high-risk country by transiting through a country that is not on the list. Until this date, it has been possible to circumvent Switzerland’s entry restrictions […]
Coronavirus: why are some countries not on risk lists despite exceeding new case thresholds?
Switzerland currently exceeds the UK’s threshold number of recent new Covid-19 cases to be classified as a risk country and France currently exceeds Switzerland’s threshold. However, these nations are currently not on risk lists. Nearly every nation now maintains a list of countries from which entry is either restricted or comes with a quarantine requirement. […]