On Wednesday, June 23rd, Switzerland announced coronavirus measures would be relaxed far more significantly than had previously been thought. 

When making the announcement, Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset said while he acknowledged the plan was “quite brave”, Switzerland was relying on its vaccination rollout to prevent another wave of the virus to sweep across the country in autumn.

As of June 25th, 57 percent of the population have had at least one shot of the vaccine. 

Is vaccine scepticism Switzerland’s new ‘Röstigraben’?

Switzerland – a country with three large linguistic regions and 26 cantons who each would probably like to think of themselves as countries – is often marked by its differences more than its similarities.

The Röstigraben is a nickname given to the cultural divide between French and German-speaking Switzerland.

When it comes to vaccines, a new divide has opened up – that between the city and the country.

EXPLAINED: What exactly is ‘coronagraben’ in Switzerland?

A new study has found that rural cantons – particularly the smaller, central German-speaking cantons – are far more skeptical of the vaccine. 

Four out of ten residents of Obwalden said they will not get the vaccine, while 35 percent of Appenzeller Innerrhoden have the same opinion. 

Conversely, only 15 percent of people in the cities of Basel, Aarau, Geneva and Zurich said they are unwilling to be vaccinated. 

In total, 22 percent of Swiss have said they will not get the vaccine – which significantly impacts Switzerland’s chances of reaching ‘herd immunity’. 

There is also a gender and generation gap, with young women being particularly reluctant to get the jab. 

Among those over 75, only seven percent said they will not be vaccinated, compared to 30 percent of those under 45. 

How will Switzerland tackle its vaccination scepticism problem? 

Switzerland has repeatedly said the vaccine will not be made mandatory. 

Reader question: Will Switzerland make the coronavirus vaccine compulsory?

While Berset has frequently ruled out making the vaccine mandatory, even if the government wanted to it is unlikely such a measure would be allowed under Swiss law. 

The official website of the Swiss government’s coronavirus health plan says the following. 

“A general obligation to vaccinate the population is fundamentally ruled out by law. Through transparent and comprehensible information, every person should be able to decide freely whether they want to be vaccinated.”

That said, Berset has employed some trademark Swiss honest pragmatism in trying to encourage skeptics to get the jab. 

Berset told Switzerland’s NZZ newspaper people need to decide how they will come into contact with the virus, not if. 

“Everyone will come into contact with the virus eventually: either through a vaccination or through an infection.”

In addition to educational campaigns encouraging people to get the jab, Switzerland is winding out its immunity passport which will give vaccinated people certain privileges. 

While this has not yet been finalised, it will include allowing people to visit nightclubs, sporting events, discos and other venues, along with events such as weddings, with no cap on the amount of people that can attend. 

READ MORE: What are the new rules for events including weddings in Switzerland?

The cantons are also taking steps to make vaccination easier, for instance by kicking off ‘walk in’ vaccinations, and employing mobile vaccination teams to get the jabs out to as many people as possible. 

According to the NZZ, the government is currently considering more “creative” ways to get sceptical people vaccinated.