Switzerland adds 10 more nations to its compulsory quarantine list

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On 7 September 2020, Switzerland added to its list of quarantine countries.

People entering Switzerland from 55 nations must now quarantine for 10 days.

On 7 September 2020, 10 nations were added to the list. These include Croatia, French Polynesia, Guyana, Lebanon, Libya, Paraguay, San Marino, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates.

From 7 September 2020, anyone who has spent time in these countries over the 14 days prior to arriving in Switzerland must quarantine.

On 7 September 2020, 8 nations were removed from the list. These include Belgium, El Salvador, Eswatini (Swazsiland), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Oman.

Although people can now travel from Belgium to Switzerland without needing to go into quarantine, residents of Belgium are either forbidden from or warned of the risks of travelling to certain Swiss cantons. Belgium has a more granular approach that targets hotspots within countries rather than whole nations.

Belgium’s residents are currently forbidden from travelling to the Swiss canton of Fribourg and warned to be vigilant when travelling to the cantons of Vaud, Bern, Geneva, Solothurn, Neuchâtel, Basel-Stadt, Zürich, Schwyz and Zug. Belgium’s red list can be found here.

For a full list of countries/regions currently on Switzerland’s list of states with an increased risk of infection click here.

These lists are subject to change and regularly updated by the authorities.

If you arrive in Switzerland and have spent time in a one of these places in the past 14 days you must go to your home or to other suitable accommodation immediately on arrival and stay there for 10 days and not go out. No exception is made for children or anyone with a negative Covid-19 test. The Swiss authorities say that a negative test does not rule out infection.

In addition, you must report your arrival to the relevant cantonal authority within 2 days and follow any instructions they give you. A government infoline operates from 6am to 11pm: +41 58 464 44 88.

Here are links for information on reporting arrival in Vaud, Geneva, Valais, Basel-City, Bern, Zurich and Zug. For other cantons click here.

The legal requirement to quarantine is set out in Switzerland’s epidemic act. Fines for non-compliance can be as high as CHF 10,000.

A fact sheet sets out what people must do during quarantine. You must stay at home or in suitable accommodation for 10 days, avoid all contact with other people and observe the rules on hygiene. Even if your PCR test for the virus is negative, you still have to spend 10 days in quarantine.

Employers must continue to pay you your salary during quarantine if they sent you to a country on the list and/or if your work can be done from home.

Those who do not continue to receive their salary from their employer can apply for compensation for Covid-related loss of earnings if they have to go into quarantine through no fault of their own. This is the case if, at the time of departure, their destination had not been announced as an area with an increased risk of infection. For further information on compensation click here: German, French, Italian.

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