COVID-19: Swiss protest mandatory certificate to enter bars, restaurants

Bern, Switzerland: Shouting ‘Liberté’ and carrying placards saying ‘My Body, My Choice’, around 2,000 Swiss nationals held a spontaneous protest against the Swiss government’s decision on Wednesday requiring people to show a COVID certificate to enter bars, restaurants and fitness centres in Switzerland from Monday, September 13.

One protester told Gulf News: “We are protesting the arbitrary decision requiring us to show a negative Covid test before we can enter public establishments. I believe this goes against basic human right. This is an infringement of individuals’ liberty.”

The protesters, who were carrying a giant banner saying “Mass Voll” (‘We have had enough’), rallied along the busy streets of Swiss capital before heading to the Swiss Federal Palace in Bern.

Back government’s plan

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset has earlier urged companies to back the government’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign, arguing it is in the economy’s interest to get as many people vaccinated as possible.

Berset told a news conference in Bern: “The situation remains unstable with more than 3,500 Covid cases per day. The alternative (to COVID certificate requirement) is to close everything, and we will do our utmost to avoid that.”