Zurich, March 18 ( /Sputnik) The Swiss Federal Council on Friday refused to endorse a ban on obligatory vaccination against the coronavirus. In January, the Swiss Freedom Movement, which advanced the initiative, gathered enough signatures to put it up for a referendum. The proposal maintains that a person’s physical or psychological integrity may be interfered with only with their consent, and those refusing a vaccine should not be limited in their professional or social activity. “The Federal Council recommends rejecting the initiative ‘For freedom and physical integrity’ without a counter-proposal,” the council said in a statement. If adopted, this initiative would lead to “legal uncertainty in many areas of society, particularly in terms of criminal prosecution and the protection of children and adults.” The council stressed that no one can be legally forced to be vaccinated in Switzerland. The federal and local authorities are eligible to announce mandatory vaccination for certain groups of people, for example medical workers, given high risks and inability to protect the population by other means. The council has instructed the Federal Department of Home Affairs to draw up a relevant message to Parliament by December 16 of this year, the statement read. As of Friday, a total of over 69% people in Switzerland have been fully vaccinated, more than 70% have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and nearly 42% have been administered booster shots. /SPUTNIK GNK
