With the Covid situation worsening in Switzerland, the Swiss government has tightened Covid measures across the country.
As part of the raft of new measures and rules announced on December 17th, the Swiss government again pledged to cover the costs for Covid tests, making testing now free in most instances.
Testing was free throughout much of the summer, however the government stopped covering the costs of the tests from early October in order to encourage people to get vaccinated.
What tests are now covered?
As of Saturday, December 18th, individual antigen and pooled PCR tests are free in Switzerland.
The costs of PCR tests and antibody tests will not be covered by the government.
Depending on the provider, PCR tests cost approximately CHF 110 (€100), or CHF 195 (€175) for rapid PCR tests.
READ MORE: How to get Switzerland’s Covid certificate with an antibody test
Self-tests - otherwise known as at-home tests which were available in pharmacies - are also not covered by the regulation and are therefore not free.
PCR tests will however be free if a close contact has tested positive, if you are part of a positive pooled PCR test or if you have symptoms of the virus.
*A positive test pool is where a group of people have their samples pooled and are tested with one PCR test. This is most common in the case of children and class groups.
What do I need a test for?
With negative tests now no longer valid for the Covid certificate, one major question is why the tests are now again being made free.
While tests will no longer allow you to obtain a Covid certificate to visit a bar, restaurant or event, they are valid in terms of travel and for the new 2G-Plus rule.
Unvaccinated (and non-recovered) people entering Switzerland must show a test on arrival and again between four and seven days after arriving. This can be antigen or PCR.
The new 2G-Plus rule requires people who are already vaccinated or recovered from the virus to also get a test in certain situations.
This includes for example bars, clubs and discos, as well as other events.
People who have had a booster shot in the past four months do not need to get a test, i.e. they will be deemed already 2G-Plus compliant.
Restaurants can also elect to impose the 2G-Plus rule if they want to get rid of the requirement to have allocated seating and to have masks.
Why is testing free again?
Switzerland’s Covid situation has worsened in recent weeks, with higher case rates than ever and fuller ICUs than ever.
Testing allows infected people to be identified and isolate, thereby slowing the spread of the virus.
While those who have been vaccinated will have a less severe course of the symptoms, they can still catch and spread the virus in some cases.
One of the major reasons the government decided to stop covering the costs of tests back in October was in order to encourage vaccination.
As a result of the October change, people who were unvaccinated but were getting tested regularly in order to have a Covid certificate would need to pay the costs of the tests themselves.
Under the rules in effect as at December 18th, people can no longer get a negative test for the Covid certificate, so the incentive to vaccinate is still there.
Another major reason for the change was the cost of testing, which was estimated at four million francs per day.
Switzerland ends free Covid testing: Everything you need to know
As yet, it is unclear as to what the daily costs of covering the tests will now be, given that it is expected fewer people will get tested as the tests no longer confer a Covid certificate.
Where can I get tested?
Fortunately, testing is common place in cities, towns and villages throughout Switzerland, while most airports and major transport hubs also have testing facilities.
Pharmacies, general practitioners and hospitals have testing facilities, while private facilities also exist across the country.
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