Covid certificate or mask required to access Swiss parliament
Parliamentarians have agreed that a Covid certificate will be needed to access the parliament building in Bern from October 2. However, an exception has been made for politicians without the document.
On Tuesday the House of Representatives followed a decision by the Senate to insist that a Covid certificate be presented when entering the parliament building. But they agreed that anyone who does not have the certificate can enter provided they wear a protective mask.
The Swiss Covid certificate provides proof of vaccination, recovery from infection or a negative test result.
A minority of parliamentarians had pushed for the certificate for everyone, arguing that the public would not understand any exceptions. However, opponents said it was unacceptable that anyone who did not want to be tested or vaccinated should be refused access.
“We are subject to parliamentary law and are obliged to attend the sessions,” said Gregor Rutz of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.
Relieve pressure on hospitals
On September 13 Switzerland widened the use of Covid certificates in public life. They are now required to enter indoor public spaces, such as restaurants, bars and museums. Most of Switzerland’s 12 universities say students need a Covid certificate to attend lectures and courses in person. The certificate may also be used by employers as part of a company’s protection plan.
Since September 20 anyone vaccinated abroad with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) can apply for a Swiss Covid certificate.
The government ordered the wider use of the Covid certificate to relieve pressure on hospitals that are struggling to cope with a fourth wave of infections. It is also viewed as an indirect way of boosting the vaccination rate.
There have been several public protests against the Covid certificate measure.
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.