Switzerland: thousands of protesters against anti-Covid measures

Thousands of demonstrators marched once again on Saturday in several Swiss cities to protest against anti-Covid measures but Bern, the capital, hosted a counter-demonstration.

The rallies went smoothly.

The main parade brought together some 3,000 people in Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland, ATS-Keystone reported, citing police figures. Parades were also held in Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland, in Lugano in Italian-speaking Switzerland and in Baden, in the canton of Aargau in German-speaking Switzerland.

, "Freedom" chanted the demonstrators, without a mask, between two whistles in Lausanne on the shores of Lake Geneva.

In Lugano, at the call of the association "Friends of the Constitution", the opponents were around 400. Entitled

, the demonstration also aimed to say no to the Covid 19 law, which is submitted to popular vote on November 28.

In the federal capital, some 300 people marched under the slogan

Extended health pass

At the beginning of September, faced with a difficult health situation due to the delta variant and an insufficient vaccination rate, the Federal Council decided to greatly extend the obligation of health passes.

You have to show your Covid certificate - which you get either by getting vaccinated or by carrying out tests shortly before you use it - to enter a restaurant or a bar, but also to see an exhibition, a movie or indoor sporting event.

Wednesday, Alain Berset announced a vaccine offensive to try to convince the undecided, because the vaccine is "our way out of the crisis".

However, a million people still need to be vaccinated before all measures can be lifted, Berset said.

Switzerland is currently a poor student in Europe.

The full vaccination rate was only 61.52% on October 15.