New immigration rules in Switzerland as COVID-19 cases surge

On October 28, 2020, the Swiss Federal Council updated the quarantine rules for travelers. In the meeting held for the same, many other measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 in Switzerland were approved.

On October 29, 2020, a new threshold of cases for each country for travel quarantine was brought into effect. The Council decided to raise the threshold as the rate of occurrence of the pandemic is above average in Switzerland when compared with the rest of Europe. The countries now included in the quarantine list will be only those that have an incidence rate that’s 60 higher than that in Switzerland.

So, now only travelers arriving from such countries as on a visitor visa in the last 14 days will have to observe quarantine when they arrive in Switzerland.

The Council also reached an agreement to exempt people traveling for medical reasons and business travellers from compulsory quarantine. This is applicable only to their trips that last no longer than 5 days.

The exemption is also applicable to residents of border areas of Switzerland. Switzerland has also deemed all Schengen states, the EU, and the European micro sites as not risky for Switzerland. This was so from June 15, 2020, and July 20, 2020. Arrivals from these countries is permitted for any purpose type.

Nevertheless, those who arrive in Switzerland as on Switzerland visitor visa from an area or state with a high risk of infection have to observe quarantine for 10 days.

From October 29, 2020, as per the new decisions, the following countries have been enlisted in the COVID-19 high-risk countries category:

• French territories:
  • French Polynesia
  • Île de France region
  • Hauts-de-France region
• Andorra
• Belgium
• Armenia
• Czech Republic

The council is willing to do rapid antigen tests to find COVID-19 infection starting from November 2, 2020. This will help identify cases in a more rapid manner resulting in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Europe, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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