Last Updated on June 15, 2020, 7:13 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Switzerland reopened its borders with several other European states after improvements to the coronavirus situation on June 15.
The Swiss government has allowed travel between Switzerland and all European Schengen states along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and the United Kingdom. One exception is Spain, which will not reopen it’s borders before early July.
The so-called Schengen area operates control-free crossings, but they have been mostly closed for three months to all but goods traffic and critical workers due to the pandemic.
For the moment, Switzerland has said it is not yet possible to allow travel from outside the Schengen zone. Last week European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson urged Schengen members to lift internal border controls by Monday and to allow a gradual reopening to other countries from July.
Some border easing had already taken place. Austria decided to open its border with Switzerland on June 4. And earlier, on May 15, the boundaries between Switzerland, Austria and Germany opened again exclusively for unmarried couples, and for those who were wishing to visit relatives or attend important family events.
Previously only the couples who were married, in registered partnerships or who had children together were allowed to travel to meet each other under restrictions imposed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Since May 11, Swiss authorities have also been processing the backlog of applications which were made by the non-Swiss citizens to work or rejoin family in Switzerland.
From May 11, business executives could also enter Switzerland for very important business meetings or the signing of contracts that cannot be re-scheduled.
Switzerland’s frontiers were closed and strictly controlled from March 13, when the government had limited land border crossings from Italy for curbing the spread of the virus. Restrictions on the entry by land and by air were later extended to all Schengen and non-Schengen states.
Strict entry restrictions were imposed: only Swiss citizens, Swiss resident permit-holders, those entering the country for professional reasons (e.g., those who work here and have a permit to prove it), essential health workers, those transiting through or “in a situation of absolute necessity”, were able to enter the country.
The restrictions hit cross-border traffic, which fell by 70% compared to pre-crisis levels. Vehicles had to be channelled through the largest customs posts for checks, as many of the major border crossing points across Switzerland were closed.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
