Switzerland has announced stricter Covid-19 rules for people vaccinated with non-EU approved vaccines to access events and facilities.
Switzerland has announced stricter Covid-19 rules for people vaccinated with non-EU approved vaccines to access events and facilities. Fully vaccinated travellers from Thailand can still enter the country but will be subjected to the new rule which requires a Covid-19 certificate for vaccination with EU-approved vaccines that include AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Swiss ambassador Helene Budliger Artieda said the policy will start from Sep 20 with a phase-in lasting until Oct 10 before it is fully in place.
Swiss citizens in Thailand will face a complicated situation as Thailand implemented mixed jabs between Sinovac and AstraZeneca. The embassy suggested those who want to travel to Switzerland and have mixed vaccines to request a certificate once the online system is in place.
Those who received AstraZeneca or an mRNA vaccine as a third dose may have a better chance, according to the embassy. However, the decision will not be made by the embassy but by individual cantons in Switzerland.
During the transition period, the Swiss government will still allow visitors who hold certificates for WHO-approved vaccines including Sinovac and Sinopharm widely used in Asia and developing countries. They need to have a World Health Organisation International Certificate of Vaccine, known as the yellow booklet to access events or facilities.
A protest broke out in the capital after news of the new rule spread. Up to 4,000 people marched in Bern last week.