On Thursday, the EU Commission confirmed that the Swiss certificate – which shows if the holder has been vaccinated, tested, or recovered from Covid-19 – will be recognised as equivalent to the Europe-wide certificate, which has been in effect since July 1.
Switzerland is the first country outside the EU and the EEA to become part of the European travel area, the Commission said.
Theoretically, Swiss travellers will now be able to move around Europe without having to undergo further testing or quarantine regimes in the place they visit. EU travellers to Switzerland will also find life easier.
“This will let EU and Swiss citizens travel more freely, and in full security this summer,” wrote EU Commissioner Didier Reynders on Thursday.
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Data ‘light’ Covid-19 certificate to launch in Switzerland
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A new type of Covid-19 certificate will be available in Switzerland from next month that hides personal health data from prying eyes.
In practice, however, different rules and conditions still exist in different countries.
For example, there is no standardised definition of how long a PCR test remains valid and there is no agreement on how soon after a second vaccination dose a person becomes “safe”, or how long a vaccine’s protection lasts. Some EU states also haven’t yet set up the necessary infrastructure to introduce the certificate and are still in a “transition phase”.
EU countries also retain the right to restrict travellers from regions they deem to be “risk zones” owing to higher rates of coronavirus infections, or a higher prevalence of more contagious strains, like the Delta variant.
And beyond travel, once you get into the other countries, there are different attitudes to whether or not the Covid certificate is needed to get into restaurants, concerts, or large gatherings.
In Switzerland, for example, while the certificate will be required for events of over 10,000 people, for smaller concerts it’s left to the discretion of the organiser.
In Switzerland, over 3.5 million vaccinated people have already received a Covid certificate. Some 88,000 got one after having recovered from the disease.
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Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
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An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
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The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
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The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
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Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
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Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
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Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
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