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Switzerland: Parts of Germany, Italy and Austria added to coronavirus quarantine list

Switzerland has expanded its mandatory quarantine list, adding parts of Germany, Italy and Austria - as well as seven other countries. Germany’s two largest cities have been placed on the list.

Published: 9 October 2020 18:11 CEST
Updated: 10 October 2020 11:24 CEST
Switzerland: Parts of Germany, Italy and Austria added to coronavirus quarantine list
Parts of Germany, Austria and Italy have been added to the list. Image: GIAN EHRENZELLER / POOL / AFP

Switzerland on Friday expanded its list of ‘high risk’ countries and regions from which arrivals will be required to quarantine. 

Regions of Germany, Austria and Italy have been added to the list.

In addition, the countries of Georgia, Iran, Jordan, Canada, Russia, Slovakia and Tunisia have been added to the list. 

Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, Namibia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago have been removed. 

Quarantine: How does Switzerland decide a country is 'high risk'? 

The ten-day quarantine restrictions, aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus, come into force from Monday, October 12th. 

 

 

The German city states of Berlin and Hamburg have been placed on the list. 

The Italian region of Campania – which includes the city of Naples – has been added to the list, along with Sardinia and Veneto.

Liguria is the only other region of Italy on the list, having previously been added on September 28th. 

UPDATE: Everything you need to know about Switzerland's quarantine rules 

Arrivals from the Austrian states of Burgenland and Salzburg will also be required to quarantine. Vienna has been on the list since September 11th, while Upper Austria and Lower Austria were added on September 28th. 

Switzerland is continuing to exempt immediate border regions in neighbouring countries from the quarantine requirements.

When placed on the list on September 14th, France and Austria were broken up into regions rather than considered as a whole country due to the importance of the border regions to the Swiss economy. 

In making the announcement, Swiss health minister Alain Berset effectively implied that border regions would remain exempt from quarantine requirements due to the economic and social connections which span both sides of the border.

The government in Bern said earlier this month it was seeking a “pragmatic” approach by exempting areas impacted by heavy cross-border trade, and which are home to many who cross over daily to work in Switzerland.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Could new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona be derailed?

The planned new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona could be scuppered due to a lack of funding, media reports on Friday claimed.

Published: 20 September 2024 09:52 CEST
Could new night trains from Zurich to Rome and Barcelona be derailed?

As the Swiss media reported on Thursday, there is good news and bad news concerning international night trains. 

The good news is that the national railway company, SBB, is committed to night trains connecting Zurich to Rome and Barcelona.

The first trains could be running as early as next year, SBB boss Vincent Ducrot told SRF media recently adding that it could also be 2026 before they start.

The bad news is that government funding is needed to get the project on the right track.

This money, however, could be difficult to obtain, because the Federal Council is looking into ways to cut spending, as Switzerland is facing a deficit of several billion francs.

Under Swiss law, no more than 30 million francs can be spent each year to promote international trains.

However, the law considers financing night connections as an optional provision, so the government is not obliged to spend any money on them.

And the problem for SBB and passengers keen on the night trains is that they are not very profitable and experts believe they won’t contribute much to Switzerland achieving its climate goals.

SBB boss Ducrot believes that if the promised subsidies are withdrawn the new night trains will simply not be feasible.

Existing night trains to and from Switzerland are popular. There are daily connections from Zurich to Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Graz, Amsterdam, Budapest, Zagreb and Prague.

But there are reasons they don’t make much profit.

Beds, sleeping compartments and toilets take up more space than seats on day trains so the maximum number of tickets that can be sold per train is therefore reduced. 

Normal daytime trains are in use for up to 18 hours a day but night trains are only used at night so spend much of the day unused.  

If subsidies do prove hard to come by there is hope cantons or cities that are interested in having night train connections could step in and help fund the services.

READ ALSO: The night trains to take from Switzerland around Europe

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