RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In an interview, Health Minister Alain Berset held out the prospect of possibly abolishing the Covid passport requirement in Switzerland in the near future. “The times of the certificate seem to be coming to an end,” Berset told the newspaper “Schweiz am Wochenende” and reported by Swiss press agency SDA.
If the Covid situation develops well, the Federal Council “could turn the Interior Ministry’s commitment into a recommendation and lift the quarantine in the next few weeks,” he added.
The state government had most recently decided that the home-office duty and quarantine rules would apply until the end of February for the time being. The remaining measures are in effect until at least the end of March.
Covid certificates have been in use in Switzerland since July 2021. They show that one has been vaccinated, tested, or recovered. There were heated discussions about the use of certificates and their usefulness before the vote on the Covid law in the fall.
The government wants to use access restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus and prevent severe cases.
In an interview, the left-wing Federal Councilor expressed cautious optimism about the situation. “I believe we are on the road to recovery, but the virus has proven unpredictable several times.”