Switzerland sees no reason for the moment to tighten the rules of entry into its territory for Chinese travelers. The Confederation rules in this respect on the EU, which is considering joint measures. A crisis meeting is scheduled for next week.
The 27 member states of the European Union (EU) are currently discussing a common course of action on travel regulations. So far, only certain Member States, such as Italy or Spain, have announced or already implemented tightening measures.
There is no EU-wide procedure yet. A crisis meeting next week should make it possible to consider the sequence of events.
The United States, India or Japan have also taken the lead and imposed mandatory tests. EU health authority ECDC says such measures are currently unnecessary for all 27.
FOPH: “no increased risk”
According to the indications provided Friday by the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP), questioned by the Keystone-ATS agency, there are currently no plans to introduce health measures at the borders in Switzerland. For the FOPH, there is no reason to assume that the current evolution of infections in China represents an increased danger for the Swiss health system.
Also according to the Office, there is no indication that the sub-variants of Omicron currently circulating in China cause a more serious course of the disease than those known so far.
However, the FOPH continues to “monitor the situation closely” and constantly monitors the possible emergence of new variants. If necessary, Switzerland will coordinate further steps with the EU.
Do not undermine EU provisions
For the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), if third-country nationals might enter other European countries via Switzerland, this would undermine European provisions. Conversely, it would not be possible to prevent entry into Switzerland via another Schengen state, says the SEM. This is why Switzerland will align itself with the EU when it comes to entry arrangements.
The impact of the travel measures on the epidemiological dynamics is low, given the current high circulation of the virus in Europe, explained Tanja Stadler, chairwoman of the advisory committee for the Confederation and the cantons on Thursday evening in the news magazine of the SRF “10 vor 10”.
For her, the risk of new variants appearing is rather low, even if it cannot be totally excluded. In Switzerland, the population also has a “very complex” immunity thanks to vaccination or to having contracted the disease. The waves should therefore be less and less strong in the future, thinks Ms Stadler.
WHO shows understanding
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it understands the tightening of entry conditions in some countries. “In the absence of complete information from China, it is understandable that countries take measures that they believe will protect their people,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday. Twitter.
He asked Beijing to provide the WHO with “detailed information” on the epidemiological situation in the country. A request rejected Friday by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since the start of the pandemic, China has “shared information openly and transparently with the international community, including the WHO,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said. According to him, health experts from different countries further agree that new entry restrictions for travelers from China are not necessary.
Fear of new variants
After almost three years of strict preventive measures, Chinese leaders abruptly announced on December 7 the end of their controversial “zero Covid” policy. According to internal estimates not officially confirmed, 248 million people, or 18% of the population, were infected in the first three weeks of December alone.
Scientists warn that this wave might give rise to new variants, which would then find their way to other countries.
This article has been published automatically. Sources: ats / dpa / afp