Important information concerning COVID-19
The following link will take you to the FOPH’s official main page. There you will find further information regarding the coronavirus.
You will find coronavirus-related statistics on the Infectious Diseases Dashboard (IDD).
Latest news on vaccination
The COVID-19 vaccination is recommended in autumn/winter for people at especially high risk. Pregnant women can obtain a vaccination following a consultation. There is no recommendation for any other persons to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination. Current information on COVID-19 vaccination is available on the FOPH website.
Hygiene and social distancing recommendations
Now that the measures and restrictions have been lifted, individual responsibility is becoming more important. How we protect ourselves and others now depends on our own behaviour.If you want to continue to protect yourself, you can follow these basic principles:
SwissCovid app: permanent suspension
The operation of the SwissCovid app was already temporarily suspended in spring 2022; it was definitively discontinued as of 1 September 2023. This is in line with the legal requirement to shut down the system when it is no longer needed to manage the pandemic.
The SwissCovid app was developed to relieve the cantons by supporting the cantons’ contact tracing during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the SwissCovid app, persons who were not personally known could be informed voluntarily, automatically and anonymously about an encounter with the person who had tested positive. Those in question could then take appropriate precautions and, for example, get tested free of charge.
What should I do as a user of the SwissCovid app?
You can uninstall the app. The app is not being developed further.
This does not apply to the “COVID Certificate” app.
How do new variants like Omicron arise?
All viruses change naturally as long as they are circulating within the population.
When a virus reproduces, changes sometimes occur in its genetic material. These changes are called mutations and lead to the emergence of a new variant of the virus. This is normal and to be expected; often mutations have no effect or are harmful to the virus. Occasionally mutations put the virus at an advantage so that it spreads as a new variant in the population. A number of coronavirus variants have already been identified and described.
Travelcheck – The tool for the entry into Switzerland
With the tool “Travelcheck” you can quickly find out which precautions you have to take to enter Switzerland.
Informational and explanatory videos
Various videos provide information on the measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Protect Yourself and Others: campaign overview
On 27 February 2020 the Federal Office of Public Health launched the Protect Yourself and Others information campaign to help control the spread of the new coronavirus. Among other things it informed members of the public about the hygiene and behavioural recommendations to follow for preventive purposes, but also in the event of infection with COVID-19. In the Campaign archive you’ll find an overview of all the phases of the campaign.