Switzerland has announced easing of restrictions significantly from June 26 which includes opening up entry for travel from abroad. In a statement issued by the Swiss government, entry from a country with a “variant of the virus of concern“ will also be allowed with certain conditions, which includes countries in the “high-risk” category like India.
SWISS GOVERNMENT ISSUES STATEMENT
“Persons who have been vaccinated or who have recovered from the disease will be permitted to enter Switzerland from these countries or regions without having to be tested or to quarantine as long as it is certain that the vaccination offers good protection. Those who have neither been vaccinated nor have recovered must present a negative PCR test or rapid antigen test and go into quarantine on entry,” the statement said.
With India, the concern was regarding the Delta Plus variant. The new announcement accounts for that as well.
“In practice, this means that persons who have been vaccinated or who have recovered, do not have to produce a negative test even when travelling from countries where the Delta variant is widespread (such as India or the United Kingdom) and do not have to quarantine on entry. The vaccines used in Switzerland are only slightly less effective against the Delta variant and thus, still offer a very high level of protection,” said the press release.
Indians who have been fully vaccinated with Covishield will now be able to travel to Switzerland since it is a WHO-approved vaccine.
The website says, “For FULLY vaccinated third-country nationals with CHE, EU and WHO recognised vaccines, the regular entry requirements will be applicable again from June 26, 2021. This also means that these travellers no longer have to be quarantined after arriving in Switzerland.”
For further details, you may visit the website of The Federal Council.
VISA
For information regarding visa, you can visit this website, which states that, “The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi is currently accepting all visa categories for persons arriving from third countries like India, who can prove, that they have been fully vaccinated.”
REGARDING QUARANTINE
If you have questions regarding quarantine, this link is an excellent tool to check on quarantine on arrival. The FAQs from the Federal Office of Public Health is answering many questions on sanitary measures and Covid certificates.
Apart from Switzerland, Turkey is one of the few other countries that is welcoming Indian tourists. However, a tourist has to quarantine for 14 days after landing as it is mandatory. Egypt is open to Indian tourists as well but they have to take a rapid DNA test upon arrival.