Does the coronavirus affect trips to Switzerland?

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (last update August 7 2020)

Visit this page for tips regarding trip planning, cancellation and more: www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus.

1. Can I visit Switzerland now?

It depends on your country of residence whether you can enter Switzerland. This is the current status:

• allowed to enter from countries within the Schengen zone: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain (see below), UK;
• allowed to enter from from countries outside of the Schengen zone: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South-Korea, Thailand and some more countries (please check the updated list through the links below);
• not allowed to enter: all other countries;
• anyone who has been staying in countries designated as 'high risk' areas has to go into a mandatory quarantine when entering Switzerland. As of August 8, Spain too (with the exception of the Balearic and Canary Islands) will be put on this list 'high risk' list.

Please find information about traveling to and in Switzerland, Schengen visas, tourist visas and planned border openings below:

• Federal Office of Public Health: recommendations for travellers and lists of countries with unlimited travel access at https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende
• Federal Office of Public Health: quarantine requirements and list of countries labeled as 'high risk countries' at https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html
• Federal Office of Public Health: the SwissCovid app: https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/swisscovid-app-und-contact-tracing.html
• European Commission: travel information at ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/health/coronavirus-response/travel-and-transportation-during-coronavirus-pandemic_en
• State Secretariat for Migration: information about entries, stays and visas at sem.admin.ch/sem/en/home/aktuell/aktuell/faq-einreiseverweigerung.html
• Schengen Visa Info: timeline showing border openings of European countries: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/news/timeline-of-eu-member-states-reopening-their-borders
• Re-open EU: information about travel options and restrictions for each EU country (note that Switzerland is not included): https://www.reopen.europa.eu

2. What's the current coronavirus situation in Switzerland?

The exact rules can differ per canton, but overall this is the situation:

• borders between Switzerland, Schengen countries and some more countries are open for unrestricted (tourist) traveling (see #1);
• many tourism-related companies and facilities are open. This goes for mountain transportation, train and boat rides (see #3), hotels, restaurants, museums, swimming pools, theaters, campings, etc;
• in restaurants, one of the guests has to leave their contact details for tracing reasons;
• most stores are open and meal delivery services are available. In some cantons, face masks are required in shops and other public buildings like airports;
• pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, train stations and petrol stations are open;
• sports in small groups are allowed;
• an app for tracing coronavirus cases and for warning is officially used. The 'SwissCovid' app can be downloaded for free and is available in 9 languages. Using it is not obligatory, but the government strongly recommends doing so;
• legally, the situation is no longer labeled as 'extraordinary' but as 'special'.

Please find details at https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/massnahmen-des-bundes.html.

Extra hygiene rules and social distancing apply everywhere until further notice, and institutions and services have to comply to strict measures.

3. What's the current public transportation situation in Switzerland?

In short, this is the situation per type of transportation:

• wearing face masks in public transportation is obligatory. They can be bought in many shops, including the shops and kiosks at train station. Many of the 'Selecta' snack vending machines offer face masks as well;
• the train schedule is largely back to normal. The timetable is up-to-date. It includes all modes of transport, including cable cars and mountain trains. Alternatively, links to timetables and the latest news of individual mountain transport/boats/et cetera can be found on our activity pages: www.myswissalps.com/activities;
• mountain transportation is operating and most boat rides are available;
• tourist trains have started operating. Please check timetables through the 'Route' tabs on each of our activity pages. Saver Day Passes and Supersaver tickets are available again. On-board catering and luggage services will be offered too. Details for tourist trains:
  • the Bernina Express has started from June 8. The bus from Tirano to Lugano won't run yet;
  • the Glacier Express has started on June 20 on a limited timetable;
  • the Golden Pass trains have largely been running on their normale schedule and will keep doing so;
  • the Gotthard Panorama Express has started on July 4.

These are the options for train trips to and from neighboring countries:

• France: a few trains between Paris and Basel and between Paris and Geneva run each day. The number of trains is expected to be expanded;
• Germany: trains between Basel and Germany and between Schaffhausen and Germany run as usual. EC trains and buses between Zurich and München are operating;
• Austria: trains between Switzerland and Vienna are available;
• Italy: Eurocity connections between Switzerland and Italy have gradually be resumed from June 29, starting off with a limited number of trains to and from Milan. Regional trains between Ticino and Italy are running again, although some timetable restrictions still apply. The options will be extended this summer, and the timetable should be back to normal by September 7. Note that there will be no trains between Domodossola and Iselle due to construction works.

Further details about traveling by public transportation:

• passengers should try to keep a distance of 1,5 metres. Wearing a face mask is required;
• travelers are asked to pay cashless as much as possible;
• transportation companies have intensified their cleaning routine;
• toilet and washing facilities at major railway stations can be used free of charge.

For more details, please see the links here: www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus/planning.

4. If I can visit Switzerland again, how should I plan my trip?

Please find our planning suggestions at www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus/planning.

5. What can MySwissAlps.com do to help me?

This is how we help:

• we regularly update this thread and the information here: www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus;
• we provide many tips for planning safe future trips: www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus. Our website and moderators remain available to help you plan your holidays and to address your questions and concerns;
• if necessary, we’ll try to assist you with issues concerning bookings made through our partners.

We hope this crisis will soon be defeated and that we can all enjoy Switzerland again. Meanwhile, stay safe!

An old version of this thread is archived here: www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/coronavirus-switzerland-from-23-feb-to-25-apr-2020.

Thank you very much. I would be grateful if you keep on updating this thread with latest news. Sincerely appreciated.

Do Switzerland government ban flights from China or the countries with Covid-19 cases?

hi,

Thanks for the updating of the Covid 19 new in switzerland. We plan to purchase Swiss travel pass for coming trip. Once, bought. Can we get refund ?

Angel7105

Hi Yenhan10,

As far as I know this is not the case yet, but some airlines have cancelled flights. Please check the links to get the latest news.

Hi Angel7105,

Please see my original post, I just updated it.

Oh my god, so there's already a case in Switzerland?

Does it affect the Bernina Express which travel to Tirano? Is Tirano being lockdown?

Hi Yenhan10,

This does not affect any travel within Switzerland at the moment, nor to Tirano. Tirano is in the Milan region (Lomdbardia), but not near the quarantined towns.

Two Swiss cases - www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/covid-19_switzerland-confirms-second-coronavirus-case/45582788

Currently, 14 cases :-(

www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_switzerland-confirms-second-coronavirus-case/45582788

The risk is still low, but the question is, "Will we be able to enjoy our trip?" We are scheduled to leave for Zurich on March 10th to explore Jungfrau and Zermatt.

Hi all,

To contain the spread, the federal office has issued a temporary ban on events involving more than 1000 people. So the Basel Fasnacht Parade and the Zurich Fasnacht Parade this weekend are both cancelled or scaled down.

Anna

The following is a detailed report in today's RTN: www.rtn.ch/rtn/Actualite/Region/20200228-La-Confederation-interdit-les-manifestations-de-plus-de-1-000-personnes.html It is en français but if you are using Chrome which was installed in English, you can right-click and then select "Translate to English". Si vous comprenez déjà le français, ce n'est pas nécessaire.

This interdiction of all gatherings of over 1000 people is (for now) up to March 15 but as things develop, this date could be extended by order of the Conseil fédéral.

Interesting to note that some events, such as hockey playoffs (like the Ajoie - La Chaux-de-Fonds series), will carry on, but in arenas with no spectators (à huis-clos).

The attached map shows the ten communes in Lombardia that were under lockdown as of February 29. These are Codogno, Casalpusterlengo, Castiglione d'Adda, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo, and Vo' Euganeo. All of these are located to the south-east of Milano between the cities of Lodi and Cremona. I have added a green oval around Tirano to show the distance between it and Milan and the above-mentioned communes.

Thanks Peterli.

Here is an update concerning the canton of Berne from RJB: (Google translation from French).

The canton of Bern takes an even more drastic measure than the Confederation to fight against the coronavirus, it requests to cancel the demonstrations of less than 1000 people if a traceability is not possible.

Small events will also be affected by containment measures related to the coronavirus. Until Friday evening, only events involving more than 1,000 people were affected by a ban on assembly. At 7 p.m., the canton of Bern indicated in a press release that the measure was extended to demonstrations of less than 1,000 people if international participation could not be excluded. The measure is in effect until March 15 at least. The cantonal management body (OCCant) has taken the lead in coronavirus operations in the canton.

Not all gatherings are prohibited, but the canton requires guarantees. "Events of less than 1,000 people are still possible, provided that the organizers are able to prove that no participant has returned from a region affected by Covid-19 in the previous 14 days," say the authorities which further specify that the organizers "must also guarantee that the identity of the participants is known in order to be able to trace their contacts if necessary". The children's carnival in Moutier paid the price for this new measure. The organizers announced its cancellation late Friday evening.

Schools, on the other hand, will be able to resume lessons normally on Monday. If establishments were to close, the measure would be ordered by the cantonal doctor and communicated without delay.

The canton of Bern opened a hotline on Friday at 3 p.m. In particular, event organizers can find out about the situation and the conditions to be fulfilled (tel. 0800 634 634). All other information relating to the situation in the canton of Bern is gathered on this website

Hi Arno,

Considering that the number of detected cases of people suffering from Corona virus has grown almost 3times in the last 2 days (15 to 42), is a trip from March 6 to March 15 still advisable? How are tourist activities like sight seeing and sports activities affected ? Is the general population taking extreme precautionary steps like wearing masks, working from home, cancelling appointments, etc?

Life seems normal here in Zürich, where I live. I walked along the lake Sunday in nice weather, lot of people.

Mountain railways (such as Rigi Bahn) operate as normal.

Just more washing hands, less kissing and shaking hands for greeting.

Here is the latest information from Swissinfo: www.swissinfo.ch/eng/in-depth/coronavirus

Hi Vigneshlabam,

As stated by gramels, life continues quite normally, at least from an every-day aspect. People try to avoid shaking hands as well as other physical contact to "strangers", use lots of desinfectant, wash their hands often, etc.

The tour operator I work for operates all the tours to all destinations as usual, providing desinfectant and face masks to whoever wants one.

The Swiss Federal government has for the time being (end of March currently) banned activities with more than 1'000 members, such as football and icehockey games, concerts, etc. to avoid masses spending too much time closely together, but for a "regular" tourist I don't think there's any restrictions so far.

I think with an overall caution of having a virus around you will be fine.

Hope this provides some input.

Keep an eye on the links provided in this thread to follow official information.

Best,
Steph

Here is part of a newer update from Swissinfo, posted this afternoon (March 3).

Switzerland is one of the 20 countries most affected by the coronavirus worldwide, with 46 current active cases, but no deaths. Here is an overview of the situation and official response.

What is the current situation in Switzerland?

Due to the spread of the coronavirus, the government has categorised the situation in the country as “special”, under the terms of the Epidemics Act. This allows the authorities to take over certain powers from the 26 cantons and to order measures, including bans on events. The application of these legal provisions is a first for Switzerland. Specifically, the government has banned all major events with more than 1,000 people until at least March 15, 2020. Some of the cancelled events include the Geneva International Motor Show, the Baselworld watch fair,and the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights in Geneva. All top-flight Swiss soccer and ice-hockey games have also been called off.

Is it possible to become infected with the new coronavirus in Switzerland?

The risk of contracting the new coronavirus in Switzerland is currently moderate, according to the Federal Office for Public Health. In Switzerland, 46 infections were confirmed by federal and cantonal health authorities by March 3, 2020 (it was 47, but one person recovered). This puts Switzerland among the 20 countries most affected by Covid-19 globally, though no deaths have been recorded. The current figures from around the world can be found here. Advice regarding hankies and handshakes was published in all major newspapers.

What do you need to consider when travelling and staying in Switzerland?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has not yet imposed any travel restrictions. It is advisable to check when traveling to events to see if they are still taking place, as major events have been banned and cantons and cities can also ban smaller events. No special measures are currently planned for schools, day-care centres, homes and other educational or care institutions. The government has ruled out closing the borders for the time being. Swiss International Airlines has reduced the number of flights to areas with a particular risk of infection.

In the face of the coronavirus outbreak, SWISS International Airlines has extended its flight suspension to China and added Iran and Italy to the list of countries with no or limited service.

Link to the update: www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_coronavirus--the-situation-in-switzerland/45592192