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Will France be placed on Switzerland’s coronavirus quarantine list?

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Will France be placed on Switzerland’s coronavirus quarantine list?
This photograph taken on April 17, 2020, shows concrete blocks closing the border adorned with graffiti reading 'Our fate depends on your choice' and 'Stay home'. Photo: AFP

According to projections from the University of Geneva, arrivals from France may have to quarantine on arrival in Switzerland in the coming days.

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France’s infection rates have almost doubled in the previous week. 

The University of Geneva set up a forecasting model which predicts that the infection rate will continue to rise in the coming weeks, eventually crossing the Swiss government's quarantine threshold. 

They now stand at 43 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants - just shy of Switzerland’s quarantine threshold of 60 per 100,000. 

As of August 21st, there are more than 50 countries with an infection rate above Switzerland’s threshold of ‘high risk’. 

UPDATED: Who can enter Switzerland right now? 

With the situation in France escalating, there is the chance the government will impose a mandatory quarantine of ten days on all arrivals - which would create significant problems due to the economic and social connections of the countries. 

An estimated 180,000 residents of France cross the border daily into Switzerland to work, with the majority working in Geneva, Vaud and Basel City. 

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The government has not yet indicated whether it would require cross-border workers to quarantine, however special concessions have been made for cross-border workers since the start of the pandemic

Tens of thousands of Swiss also cross the border into France to go shopping, with a quarantine meaning that anyone who entered France - even if just for the purposes of shopping - would be required to quarantine for ten days upon their return. 

UPDATED: Everything you need to know about Switzerland's new quarantine requirement 

A representative of the Department of Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs told Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes that “shopping in France would not be possible” if a quarantine came into place. 

Other countries including the Netherlands, Libya, Lebanon and Paraguay are also approaching Switzerland’s quarantine threshold. 

While the government said the list would be updated monthly when it was first implemented, however so far updates have been made immediately as a country crosses the threshold. 

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