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Switzerland to guarantee wages for quarantined travellers returning from Spain

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Switzerland to guarantee wages for quarantined travellers returning from Spain
'No fault' quarantine in view for arrivals from Spain. Photo by AFP

Starting on July 8th, people arriving in Switzerland from Spain will have to self-quarantine themselves for 10 days. But unlike travellers from other high-risk nations, their wages will likely not be impacted.

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Since Switzerland placed mainland Spain on its list of nations that have a high Covid-19 infection rate, arrivals from the country, except from Balearic and Canary Islands, are subject to the 10-day quarantine requirement.

READ MORE: Arrivals to Switzerland from Spain must quarantine as of Saturday

Arrivals from other high-risk regions may have to forego their salaries during the quarantine, as they had willingly and knowingly sojourned in countries that had been placed on the ‘risk’ list at the beginning of July. 

In Spain’s case, however, people who are currently there left before the country was put on the list on August 5th.

“Therefore, their quarantine will be considered ‘non-fault’ and their salary is guaranteed”, Michael Schöll, the deputy director of the Federal Office of Justice, told Swiss media this week. 

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This particularly concerns people who can’t work from home during their confinement. “Employers have been accommodating”, he added.

However, the ruling won’t apply to those who went to Spain after it was placed on the list — they will not be able to claim their wages during the quarantine period, Schöll said.

Besides Spain, six countries will be subject to the quarantine from Saturday: the Bahamas, Equatorial Guinea, Romania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Singapore, and St. Martin.

However, Azerbaijan, Russia and the United Arab Emirates have been removed from the list of high-risk countries. 

Here’s a reminder about how Switzerland’s quarantine works:   

• Anyone arriving from one of the countries on the list must announce themselves within 48 hours to the health authorities in their destination canton. 

• Travellers must go home or to another residence immediately after arrival, and stay there for 10 days, without going out or receiving guests.

• Fines for non-compliance can be as high as 10,000 francs.
 

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