7 instead of 10 days of quarantine: This is recommended by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) for people who have had close contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. More and more cantons are following this recommendation and reducing the duration of the quarantine. On Monday, the cantons of Central Switzerland as well as Thurgau, Neuchâtel, St. Gallen and both Appenzell announced that they would shorten the deadline from 10 to 7 days.
As a result, the quarantine in the following cantons now only lasts 7 days: Zurich, Neuchâtel, Thurgau, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Zug, Freiburg, Ticino, Geneva, Basel-Stadt, Vaud, Valais and law. A spokesman for the Bern health department has confirmed to Keystone / SDA that the canton Bern will follow the BAG recommendation. The process is currently being adjusted. St. Gallen and the both Appenzell reduce the duration of the quarantine to 7 days from Wednesday, January 5th.
The cantons have not yet made a decision on a possible shortening of the quarantine Aargau and Glarus liked, as it was said in these cantons at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency. Solothurn does not plan to reduce the quarantine duration.
The Canton Grisons According to the cantonal communication office Coronavirus, has been offering a 7-day quarantine with its comprehensive test strategy for almost a year: Using the free test strategy, contact persons in quarantine can test themselves after the seventh day out of quarantine.
BAG has people at the highest risk in its sights
According to the BAG, the shorter period allows the quarantine to be targeted specifically at the contact persons with the highest risk of infection. The FOPH is targeting those people who live in the same household or have been in close contact with the person who tested positive. According to the BAG, the Federal Council is planning a change to the ordinance. However, the cantons are free to implement the proposed adjustments before the ordinance is changed.
As a rule, people who have received at least two vaccinations or have recovered from the quarantine are exempted from the quarantine. There are, however, cantonal differences. In many cantons (Geneva, Basel-Stadt, Zurich, Friborg, both Appenzell, St. Gallen, Waadt, Jura, Neuchâtel, Wallis; Nidwalden, Schwyz, Ticino), the last dose of vaccine or the illness may no longer be used in order to be exempt from the quarantine obligation than four months ago.