The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Swiss police arrest restaurant owners who refused to check Covid certificates

Zermatt
Zermatt is one of the most popular mountain resorts in the country with views of the Matterhorn peak. © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Three restaurateurs in the Swiss mountain resort of Zermatt have been arrested for ignoring orders to shut up shop after refusing to check their clientele’s Covid certificates.

On Sunday morning the police arrested the three owners. The establishment had been ordered to close on Friday for two weeks by the cantonal government for violating regulations on Covid certificate obligations for diners. The doors of the restaurant were officially sealed and concrete blocks were placed in front of the entrance. 

Over the weekend, police conducted repeated inspections, but the restaurant owners continued to serve customers. They improvised a bar on the concrete barriers put in place by the authorities. The restaurant became a site for demonstrations by those against Covid restrictions imposed by the authorities, including the Mass-Voll movement that has been organising protests across the country.

External Content

Since the entry into force and subsequent extension of the Covid certificate requirement, the cantonal police of Valais, in collaboration with the regional police of Zermatt, has inspected the restaurant several times and had already denounced it to the public prosecutor’s office for proven violations of the Covid ordinance, the police said in a statement. The canton’s public prosecutor’s office has opened a criminal investigation. 

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

The start of the holiday season means long traffic jams on the Gotthard

More

Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season

This content was published on The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.

Read more: Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
Study: Rhine could become up to 4.2 degrees warmer by 2100

More

Rhine could warm by 4°C by 2100, scientists warn

This content was published on The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.

Read more: Rhine could warm by 4°C by 2100, scientists warn
'Leopard 1 A5' combat tanks in Germany.

More

Switzerland eyes joining EU rearmament programme

This content was published on The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.

Read more: Switzerland eyes joining EU rearmament programme
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

More

Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

This content was published on On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.

Read more: Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR