Certificates

In the media conference on Wednesday, September 8th, the Bundesrat extended the requirement of the CoViD certificate for many further situations. A certificate is now generally required for indoor activities, excepting private or cultural events with less than 30 participants

Further information on the CoViD certificate can be found on this page.  The certificate can be obtained on paper or registered in the "Covid Cert" app, which is available in the  Apple App Store (for iPhones and iPads), in the Google Play Store (for Android smartphones and tablets) and also in the Huawei AppGallery.

Obtaining the certificate itself is managed by the individual Kantons.  In Zug it is obtained as follows:

• Those who have recovered from CoViD should fill out and submit a BAG form which has been posted on the Zug Health Department website since June 16th.
• Those who have already received two vaccinations will be notified by post or by SMS how to obtain a certificate.
• Those who receive their second vaccinated on June 21st or later will receive a certificate onsite directly upon vaccination.
• Certificates for negative antigen or PCR tests will also be issued onsite upon testing as of June 21st.  No certification is available for self-tests.
• Those who were vaccinated abroad, who haven't received the certificate for their vaccinations in Kanton Zug or who have problems with the federal form for recovered patients should fill out this form from Kanton Zug
  

Vaccination

In their media conference on Tuesday, September 14th, the Swiss Health Department (Bundesamt für Gesundheit, BAG) extended the recommendation for CoViD-19 vaccination to pregnant women (in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters) and nursing mothers. The available evidence clearly indicates that the benefits of vaccination for both mother and child far outweigh any risks.  Their is no clear contraindication for vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy, but the data for this group is not yet extensive enough for an official recommendation.

The Kanton of Zug has vaccinated a higher proportion of its population than the national average, but is continually working on ways to make vaccination more accessible.  The Kanton offers vaccination to everyone age 12 and above, including non-residents (e.g. commuters who work in Zug).  You can register for vaccination here, however, registration is no longer necessary.  The vaccination center in Baar is open from 11:00 to 19:00, seven days a week.  In addition, a mobile unit is visiting vocational schools to provide vaccinations on site, and 9 pharmacies in Kanton Zug are providing vaccinations without appointment from 14:00 to 18:00 every Friday.
Here is a list of the participating pharmacies:

• Anklin Apotheke, Poststrasse 3, 6330 Cham
• Arkadenhof Apotheke, Buonastrasse 5, 6343 Rotkreuz
• Bahnhof Apotheke, Alpenstrasse 12, 6300 Zug
• Gotthard Apotheke, Bahnhofstrasse 17, 6340 Baar
• Herti Apotheke und Drogerie, Hertizentrum 10, 6300 Zug
• Metalli Apotheke, Industriestrasse 13b, 6300 Zug
• Moll Apotheke und Drogerie, Hinterbergstrasse 40, 6312 Steinhausen
• Spillmann Apotheke, Bahnhofstrasse 11, 6300 Zug
• Zug Apotheke, Bahnhofplatz, 6300 Zug

Two vaccines have received temporary approval for use in Switzerland.   The New England Journal  of Medicine (NEJM) has published answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the available vaccines.  It is possible that the seasonal flu vaccine will provide some cross-immunity, particularly for those who have received the vaccine annually over a long period of time.

Testing

Kanton Zug is now testing school children regularly, and the federal government is still funding individual PCR tests for anyone with symptoms as well as pooled tests organized by camps, schools, employers etc. You can be tested at the Andreas Clinic in Cham, at the Zuger Kantonsspital in Baar, at many family physician's practices or at one of  the following pharmacies, but an appointment must be reserved in advance.

• Apotheke Drogerie Moll in Steinhausen
  Reserve an appointment at www.covidtestcenter.ch
• Amavita Apotheke Zug
  Reserve an appointment by phone (058 878 24 50)
• Arkadenhof Apotheke Rotkreuz
  Reserve an appointment by phone (041 790 88 14)

Further Information

For the latest news and authoritative information on CoViD-19, please consult the websites of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO).  COVID-19 Information for Switzerland has excellent visualizations of the latest available data for Switzerland.  Another good source of statistics for Switzerland is this page (in German) from the Tages-Anzeiger, which is updated daily.  A good source of visualizations of international data is Our World in Data.

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has also launched a website summarizing the recent statistics. An overview of the current measures and a list of FAQ are posted here.  More detailed information on Federal regulations and recommendations can be found here.  There are also restrictions which apply to those arriving from other countries.

Many misconceptions about the virus and measures against it are in circulation.  Please refer to the WHO Myth-Busters page and the Wikipedia page, "COVID-19 misinformation" for details.  The independent British fact-checker fullfact.org is also a good source of verified information about CoViD-19 / SARS-CoV2.  Their website also includes some good tips for assessing the veracity of information yourself.

The City of Zug's Building Department invites input to the second phase of the development concept which is currently in planning.  If you live, work or attend classes in the city of Zug, please click the link on this web page to provide your input by 30 April. The survey is available in both English and German.  Participants can win one of 10 Pro Zug vouchers worth CHF 100 each.

Enterprises founded since Jan. 1st 2017 can apply for consideration in the contest for the Zuger Jungunternehmer Preis 2021 up to April 4th 2021.  Eight finalists will be invited to present their businesses in the Dreiklang Zentrum Steinhausen on May 27th, starting at 17:00.  Prize winners will be awarded prizes of CHF 5'000, CHF 2'000 and CHF 1'000 sponsored by the Technology Forum Zug (tfz). Contestants can also win a prize sponsored by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC). Even those who do not win a prize will profit from the media attention.  The application form (in German) can be found here.

Here is some year-end news from Zug's Department of Economic Affairs.

Zug Tourism is offering traditional local seasonal gifts, such as Zuger Kirsch, cherrystone cushions or gift baskets of local products in their webshop at a 10% discount until Dec. 15th 2020.  Just use the voucher code "Christmas" when ordering.