Coronavirus Information and Updates

Franklin University Switzerland strongly encourages the entire Franklin community to complete their COVID vaccinations. Vaccinations are covered by Swiss health insurance. In Ticino, you will be able to sign up for Pfizer/Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna. Vaccination appointments are scheduled through a portal and you will receive a text message with your confirmed appointment date and location.

Below are a few Apps to help students manage their COVID-related documents (vaccination and tests), support contact tracing, stay updated about conditions for European travel, and register at restaurants or other establishments. Students are encouraged to download these Apps to facilitate their new life in Switzerland and in Europe.

Swiss COVID App

Please download the Swisscovid app (for Android or iPhone), which is explained in this short video. This is now mandatory for all staff, teachers, and students to trace contact within our campus. Your participation will help keep our entire community safe.

Swiss COVID Certificate App

Switzerland launched the COVID Certificate App (COVIDcert App) to document when an individual has been vaccinated for COVID-19, recovered from COVID-19, or has a negative Swiss COVID test result. Students are encouraged to download the Swiss COVIDCert App from iTunes or Google Play.

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) mandates that individuals present a COVID Certificate in order to enter large events, discos, and nightclubs. In addition, certain events with no seating requirement may require individuals to present a COVID Certificate for entry.

If a student was vaccinated outside of Switzerland, it is possible to obtain a Swiss COVID Certificate with a QR code if the vaccination meets the following conditions:

• the vaccine is approved in Switzerland. View the list of COVID vaccines recognized in Switzerland in the COVID Vaccination FAQ document on this site.
• the vaccination is complete (for example it includes the number of doses according to the recommendations of the FOPH).

In order to validate a foreign vaccination and receive a Swiss COVID Certificate, a student must send the following documents to the Ticino Cantonal doctor’s office (Ufficio del medico cantonale) dss-umc@ti.ch.

• pdf scan or a clear copy of the student’s identity document (i.e.: passport)
• pdf scan or a clear copy of the student’s Swiss residence permit
• pdf scan or a clear copy of the student’s document certifying their vaccination

Contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services and Well-Being if you have additional questions medicalservices@fus.edu.

Re-Open EU App

The Re-Open EU App provides information on the various measures for travel to EU countries to help travelers plan their trips in Europe while staying safe and healthy. Franklin recommends students download the Re-Open EU App to help understand the requirements for travel within Europe.   

SocialPass App

The Swiss SocialPass App is an application for organizers and restaurants to manage customer attendance and registration if required by authorities. Download the SocialPass App and scan the QR code at the restaurant or other establishment to register your

In almost all regions across the globe, there is a risk of COVID-19 infection. Franklin encourages students to be cautious and take all necessary safety precautions before traveling. If you must travel, please consult the Federal Office of Public Health’s (FOPH) Recommendations for Travelers.

If you develop any symptoms, you should immediately contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services and Well-Being at: medicalservices@fus.edu.

Entry Into Switzerland

Travelers entering Switzerland from certain regions may be required to self-quarantine for ten days and/or provide a negative COVID-19 test if not fully vaccinated. See self-quarantine section below for more details. The list of at-risk countries is updated regularly by the FOPH. Travelers affected should be notified during the flight, on board coaches, and at border crossings. Franklin recommends that all students take the Swiss TravelCheck prior to arrival to Switzerland to verify conditions for their entrance.  

All residences are operational.

Common areas are rigorously and frequently cleaned by our staff. If you have a roommate, please remember to practice social distancing. Clean the surfaces in your residence with chlorine or alcohol-based disinfectants. For a complete list of recommendations, see the Protecting Yourself and Others section.

If a COVID case is confirmed, all roommates in a shared bedroom and unvaccinated roommates in a shared apartment will be required to quarantine until they are authorized to exit quarantine by the Coordinator of Student Medical Services and Well-Being. Students who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a private bedroom in a shared apartment will not be required to quarantine, but are required to monitor their health for any flu like symptoms and immediately report any symptoms to medicalservices@fus.edu. All students must continue to follow the hygiene and social distancing rules and observe the mask-wearing requirement. Students are expected to follow the protocol available from OSL staff and on the OSL Moodle site if they or their roommates are required to quarantine or isolate in a private bedroom in a shared apartment.

Leaving your Campus Housing

Students leaving their campus housing temporarily or permanently should contact the Housing Department in the Office of Student Life for assistance.

Students who intend to leave on-campus housing must communicate their plans to their Resident Assistant and to the Housing Department and must leave their room keys and mailbox keys on the desk in their rooms when they go. In the event that the indicated plans change, students should communicate those changes to the Housing Department in the Office of Student Life.

For more information on current housing policies and procedures, please contact housing@admin.fus.edu.

If students, faculty, or staff begin to suffer from COVID-like symptoms, they must stay home and contact a health care professional. Symptoms vary from person to person. They include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell. No one should go in person to seek health care without specific instructions from their doctor. After a verbal assessment, the individual will receive specific instructions on how to proceed with self-care or obtain assistance.

Faculty and staff should contact their doctors directly.

Students should contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services and Well-Being at:

medicalservices@fus.edu
+41 91 986 53 11

You must self-quarantine for the minimum 10-day period if:

• You are not vaccinated and not recovered from COVID and are entering Switzerland from a high-risk country.
• You share a bedroom with a roommate who tests positive for COVID or you are unvaccinated in a shared apartment with a roommate who tests positive for COVID. You will be required to quarantine until you are authorized to exit quarantine by the Coordinator of Student Medical Services at medicalservices@fus.edu.  
• You are not vaccinated and not recovered from COVID and come into contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Fully vaccinated students in a private bedroom are not required to quarantine for 12 months from the time you were fully vaccinated. A vaccination certificate may be required from Swiss authorities to verify your situation. Students who have recovered from COVID within the past six months and have a private bedroom are not required to quarantine. A COVID positive test result or recovery certificate may be required from Swiss authorities to verify your situation.
• You develop COVID-like symptoms: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, loss of taste or smell. Contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services for medical advice and assistance medicalservices@fus.edu.

Starting Fall Semester 2021, Franklin will allow students living in the on-campus Residence Halls to shorten their 10-day quarantine by following the protocol provided by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). If your situation qualifies for this option, it involves obtaining a negative COVID test on day 7 of your quarantine. You must remain in your 10-day quarantine until the Cantonal authorities release you. Contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services for medical advice and assistance medicalservices@fus.edu. 

Airlines are notifying the authorities when passengers arrive from at-risk countries, and the authorities will be conducting random checks to ensure quarantine periods are observed. The fines for quarantine violation can be as high as 10,000 CHF.

If you are starting the semester in quarantine, you will need to remain in your room for ten days. You can, however, spend time outside on your private balcony without having in-person interaction with others. If no symptoms occur within 10 days of the last contact with a COVID-19-positive individual, people can resume normal activity according to federal guidelines.

On-campus students who are required to quarantine should contact housing@fus.edu for assistance in ordering meals from Food Service. For more options, the Franklin app has links for great places to order food and will be updated regularly - download from iTunes or Google Play.

Please note that any student living off-campus, who returns to Switzerland and is required by Swiss authorities to quarantine is also required to follow the self-quarantine mandate before interacting with anyone on campus: students, faculty, or staff. As an institution, we are doing everything we can to keep members of our community safe, and we need your help to minimize contact that could put others’ health at risk. Students who develop COVID-19 symptoms or have health-related questions should contact the Coordinator of Student Medical Services at medicalservices@fus.edu.

People who fit one of the following descriptions are considered to be especially at-risk:

• People over the age of 65
• People suffering from cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases or chronic respiratory diseases
• People with conditions or undergoing therapies that weaken the immune system

The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommends simple measures to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as part of their campaign:

Protect Yourself and Others.

Hygiene Rules and How to Behave

Wash your hands thoroughly.

Avoid shaking hands.

Stay at home if you have a high temperature and a cough.

Keep your distance.

Cough and sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your arm.

Always call ahead before going to the doctor’s or the emergency department.

Franklin Recommendations

The university recommends the following additional prevention practices in compliance with the directives of the Swiss public authorities:

• Wash your hands often. It is recommended to use hydroalcoholic solutions for hand washing in public places, gyms, supermarkets, pharmacies and other meeting places.
• Avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections.
• Maintain, in social contacts, an interpersonal distance of at least 1.5 meters (5 feet).
• Practice respiratory hygiene (sneezing and/or coughing in a handkerchief, avoiding hand contact with respiratory secretions).
• Avoid the promiscuous use of drinking glasses and bottles, especially during sports.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with your hands.
• Clean surfaces with chlorine or alcohol-based disinfectants.

Swiss Health Department (FOPH)

Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)

Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Center for Disease Control (CDC)