Switzerland, having changed its policy, will no longer require travelers arriving from countries where the Omicron variant has been identified to go through quarantine. Instead, the country will impose stricter testing requirements for all arriving passengers.
Starting December 4, 2021, Switzerland will require all arriving passengers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test. Travelers will also be required to retest between the 4th and 7th day of their visit.
The announcement is part of a wider tightening of restrictions in Switzerland by the country’s Federal Council in an attempt to reduce the burden on the country’s hospitals with the proliferation of the Delta variant.
The policy change also came amid international debate about the effectiveness of country-specific restrictions. The World Health Organization and the countries affected by the restrictions also criticize these restrictions, which are spreading around the world, as discriminatory.
“The travel ban is not based on science and will not be effective to prevent the spread of this option,” South African Prime Minister Cyril Ramaphosa said on Twitter.