Corona: The border with Italy remains open for cross-border workers
Italy has confirmed to Switzerland that the border between the two countries will remain open for cross-border commuters. This was announced by Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio to his counterpart Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis in a telephone conversation. The Italian Foreign Minister confirmed this news in a media release this afternoon. Federal Councillor Alain Berset has also discussed the situation with the President of the Ticino State Council Christian Vitta in the last hours to clarify the consequences of the development of the epidemic in Italy for the Canton of Ticino and Switzerland.
All workers can continue to move to pursue their professional activity, both between Italian regions and between Switzerland and Italy. The continuity of the Ticino Healthcare System should thus be ensured. However, the cross-border commuters must have a document such as the foreigner's identity card G, which proves their professional activity. Swiss employers are expressly invited to inform their employees of these arrangements. For all other activities, strict restrictions have been imposed by the Italian authorities. For example, Swiss nationals and people established in Switzerland are required to stay away from the affected regions. The border also remains open for the movement of goods.
The Italian authorities will carry out controls to ensure that the decisions of the Italian government are respected. Thus, the Italian authorities have set up a monitoring system at the edge of the security zone, also at the northern border, to verify that only authorized journeys take place. Switzerland will also set up a monitoring system, the modalities of which will be defined in the coming hours. These measures were discussed in the telephone conversations between Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and his Italian counterpart Luigi di Maio. The good cooperation between the federal authorities of Switzerland and Italy, as well as the authorities of the Canton of Ticino, have allowed to respond quickly to the challenges of the situation that arose from the evolution of the epidemic on Italian soil.
Sources:
The Federal Council
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Federal Department of Home Affairs
More information and links from the editors:
Rai South Tyrol: "Italy: 133 dead in one day, 622 cured".
To the current case numbers in Italy
Rai South Tyrol: "South Tyrolean doctors also infected".
Handelszeitung: "Government in Rome announces "massive shock therapy""
