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How Switzerland plans to shorten its quarantine requirement to seven days

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How Switzerland plans to shorten its quarantine requirement to seven days
Photo: DANIEL ROLAND / AFP

Swiss health authorities have put forward a plan to shorten the country’s quarantine requirement from ten to seven days.

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The Swiss requirement - which is already shorter than some European countries - is currently set at ten days. 

On Wednesday, Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset produced a 'test and release' plan to shorten the period to seven days.

Pursuant to the plan, a person in quarantine will be able to take a test on the sixth day of the quarantine process. 

If the test is negative, the person can end the quarantine on the seventh day. 

The plan has been submitted to the cantons for consultation, reports the Tages Anzeiger

The consultation period with the cantons will end on Friday, October 16th. 

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UPDATE: Everything you need to know about Switzerland's quarantine rules

There have been widespread calls to shorten the quarantine period coming from Switzerland and abroad. 

The calls have grown louder in recent weeks, particularly as infection rates have risen dramatically across Switzerland. 

As at Wednesday, October 14th, every canton in Switzerland has crossed the ‘high risk’ threshold

Quarantine: How does Switzerland decide a country is 'high risk'? 

German epidemiologist Christian Drosten proposed a similar plan in August, while studies from Switzerland’s ETH have found that a seven-day quarantine would have a better cost benefit ratio. 

Representatives from the travel industry have also called for the quarantine period to be reduced

Cantonal authorities in Bern have called for the quarantine requirement to be ended completely, in light of many parts of Switzerland having higher case numbers than so-called international risk areas. 

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