Protests against Covid-19 restrictions held in three locations
Demonstrations against Switzerland’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions have been held in three towns across the country.
Around 250 people gathered in Schaffhausen in the north; around 200 people in Brig in canton Valais and an as yet unconfirmed number of people demonstrated in Italian-speaking Bellinzona on Saturday.
Protestors condemned the country’s current coronavirus restrictions and any move towards compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus. Police said that all the protests had been peaceful.
The Swiss government said on August 11 that due to the uncertain virus situation – cases have risen to between 2,500-3,000 a day – it was too soon to lift remaining pandemic restrictions, such as the compulsory wearing of masks in public spaces. It will re-evaluate the situation in September.
It added earlier this week that it was considering extending the use of Covid-19 certificates (which provide proof of vaccination, recovery or a recent negative test result) to most public indoor spaces to avoid a potential overburdening of Swiss hospitals.
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There are regular demonstrations in Switzerland against the country’s coronavirus measures. Participation can range from several hundred to the thousands: at the end of July 5,000 people gathered in the central Swiss city of Lucerne.
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