03 March 2020- According to the concerned Swiss authorities, there are confirmed cases of COVID-19 in some parts of the country.
Due to the raising of the alert level by the World Health Organization to "very high", the Embassy of the Philippines in Switzerland would like to ensure the safety and well-being of all its clients through the adoption of the following the measures:
- The Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy in Berne will continue to provide Consular services to Filipinos residing in Switzerland from 08h00 to 16h00 who are in urgent need of obtaining Travel Documents for direct journey to the Philippines. The Consulate will remain open from 08h00 until 16h00. If your travel is not urgent or imminent, we strongly advise you to temporarily refrain from coming to the Embassy especially from 5 until 13 March 2020 due to the ongoing renovation of the Consular Section of the Embassy;
- Apart from Senior citizens, minors, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) who are in urgent need of Consular services, only the applicant will be admitted to the Consular Section. The Embassy strongly advises all its clients not to bring their babies, children, the elderly and other accompanying persons who do not require Consular services in order to prevent possible contamination or infection of other persons;
- Do not go to the Consulate if you have a fever, conduct periodic body temperature check and call your doctor or hospital;
- In addition to the regular washing of your hands with soap and water or with alcohol/hand sanitizer and coughing/sneezing into a tissue/handkerchief, which should be immediately thrown in a covered trash can, or coughing/sneezing using the crook of your arm in the absence of tissue paper/ handkerchief, please be advised that handshakes and the customary kissing of the cheeks should be avoided.
The Embassy wishes to reiterate its appeal to all Filipinos in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein to be careful and to follow the rules and regulations of the Swiss and Liechtenstein authorities in all levels, whether Federal, Cantonal or Municipal.
Remain vigilant and alert for symptoms of the infection such as coughing, lack of or difficulty in breathing, fever, etc. In this type of situation, stay at home and avoid contact with other persons. Immediately contact your doctor by phone and refer to the Swiss Coronavirus Infoline at +41 58 463 00 00. Do not proceed immediately to your doctor or to the hospital emergency room. The Embassy also strongly urges all Filipinos to avoid large gathering of persons such as sports events and other similar events.
Please refrain from obtaining non-verified information from the internet or social media to avoid panic. Instead, please obtain verified information from official sources:
Swiss Federal Office of Public Health - https://www.foph-coronavirus.ch
Principality of Liechtenstein - https://www.llv.li/inhalt/1908/amtsstellen/amt-fur-gesundheit .
Always follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the authorities in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Thank you very much!
