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Swiss government issues advice on travelling abroad as borders reopen

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
Swiss government issues advice on travelling abroad as borders reopen
While some holiday locations, like this one in Italy, are open, others may still be closed to tourists. Photo by AFP

The Federal Council announced last week that Switzerland, the EU, and the UK will re-open their borders to each other as of June 15th. But there are some things you should know before you go abroad.

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After three months of travel restrictions, borders in many parts of Europe are open again, allowing people from Switzerland to visit family abroad, or perhaps spend their holidays in a foreign land. 

But before leaving Switzerland, it is wise to find out whether it is safe to travel to a given country; while many places around Europe are open, others have special entry requirements, which travelers should know about ahead of time.

For instance, for the time being Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Spain are among the nations that remain off limits to travelers from Switzerland, and some countries, like the UK and Ireland have a mandatory, two-week quarantine for foreign arrivals.

READ MORE: Swiss tourism chiefs urge residents to have staycations this summer 

According to Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), specific rules might apply “for certain groups of people or for certain types of journey, often under specific conditions. Examples of such conditions include compulsory quarantine, monitoring your own health, or in rare cases, presenting proof of a negative COVID-19 test”. 

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And “entry rules to various countries can change very quickly depending on the epidemiological situation”, the FOPH added.

Therefore, the FOPH advises travelers from Switzerland to contact the embassy or consulate of the destination country to find out if they can enter freely on the day of travel, or if new entry restrictions apply.

And Swiss health authorities are reminding those who are traveling abroad to comply with that country’s health measures and hygiene rules. 

What happens if Covid-19 re-emerges and you are stranded abroad?

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) said on its website that “Switzerland will not organise any further repatriation flights”, as it had during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

If this happens, you would have to make your own way home, so you should set up the ‘just-in-case’ contingency plans.
 

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