As announced in the CHIS Bull’ 45 of April 2020, your new laminated insurance card is now available.

Staff members who have not received it at home (depending on the criteria they have defined in their correspondence with UNIQA), can pick it up at the CERN Mail Service office in building 555/R-002 (opening hours: 7.30-12.00 and 13.00-16.30).

You have to present your CERN access card to receive your insurance card and, if applicable, those of your family members. 

The insurance cards have been sent by post to pensioners. They will receive them according to the postal deadlines.

Please note that the cards in your possession are still valid that the laminated cards will be kept pending your return to the site.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss authorities have restricted entry into Switzerland. Only Swiss citizens, holders of a residence permit in Switzerland (including a FDFA legitimation card), and persons with a certified professional reason for entering Switzerland may enter the country.

Non-Swiss citizens and persons not holding a valid Swiss resident permit may not, in principle, travel to Switzerland to receive medical treatment.

However, exceptions may be granted in particular when a person is in a situation of absolute necessity. The continuation of a medical treatment that has begun in Switzerland and abroad is one of the grounds for absolute necessity, as stated in the Directive of the State Secretariat for Migration: https://www.sem.admin.ch/content/dam/data/sem/aktuell/aktuell/einreisestopp/weisung-covid-19-f.pdf (last updated on 16 April 2020).

The person concerned must therefore be able to present, when crossing the border, a certificate issued and signed by the Swiss treating doctor stating that the patient must imperatively continue their medical treatment and indicating the dates of the scheduled appointments.

For further information on travel restrictions for Switzerland, click here.

April 2020

The Occupational Health Service addresses your COVID-19 concerns and proposes eight solutions to frequently encountered problems in these unprecedented times.

All these tips, as well as the HR department’s anti-isolation measures, can be found on the “Work Well Feel Well” web page.

For family members of international civil servants and retired international civil servants and members of their family, domiciled in France, who are not holders of a carte de légitimation: access to medical care in Switzerland is subject to restrictions.
In principle, travel to Switzerland to receive medical treatment in the current context is not permitted. However, exceptions may be granted in particular when a person is in a situation of absolute necessity. The continuation of a medical treatment that has begun in Switzerland and cannot be postponed without endangering the patient's life is one of the grounds for absolute necessity, as provided for in the directive of the State Secretariat for Migration, ordinance 2 COVID-19.

The person concerned must therefore be able to present, when crossing the border, a certificate issued and signed by the Swiss treating doctor stating that the patient must imperatively continue their medical treatment which cannot be postponed without endangering their life and indicating the date on which the medical treatment began in Switzerland.

The person must send a prior request by e-mail to the Swiss Mission: geneve.visa@eda.admin.ch. This request must be accompanied by documentary evidence of the validity of the stay in accordance with the ordinance 2 COVID-19 and indicate the planned point of entry into Switzerland. This will enable the Swiss Mission where applicable to authorise the person's entry into Switzerland and to notify the relevant border post accordingly in advance.
The Host State Relations service (relations.secretariat@cern.ch) is at the disposal of interested parties for any questions prior to the process of contacting the Swiss Mission.
 
For further information on travel restrictions for Switzerland, click here.

As announced in the Official Communication on 27 March 2020, the new Rules of the CERN Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) will come into force on 1 April 2020.

We would like to inform you that, as of that date, you will be able to submit your reimbursement claims to our third-party administrator, UNIQA, electronically (submission on paper will also remain possible). Reimbursement claims must be accompanied by the usual supporting documents (bills, prescriptions, proofs of payment, etc.), and you must keep the original documents for two years.

UNIQA is introducing a new web portal (myUNIQA), which will allow you to submit your reimbursement claims securely and easily. If you already use the UNIQA extranet, you will soon receive a message inviting you to activate your myUNIQA account. If not, you can create an account on myUNIQA by entering your insurance number and date of birth.

A video explaining how to use the new portal is available here.

March 2020

The normal measures that are effective at controlling the spread of illnesses such as seasonal flu also contribute to keeping the spread of the COVID-19 virus under control. Take care of your health and protect others adopting the recommended hygiene measures available on the medical service website:

https://hse.cern/news-article/7-tips-prevent-viruses-7-gestes-barrieres-contre-les-virus

CERN continues to monitor the evolution of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. For up-to-date information, please see: https://hse.cern/news-article/coronavirus-recommendations.

We remind you that you have access to a Telemedicine service 24/7 with MEDGATE. 

This service allows you to consult a doctor remotely by phone at +41 22 819 44 77 or online (using Skype, for example) at any time – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A smartphone application is also available.To use it, download and open the Medgate application depending on your browser:

Medgate’s doctors can advise you on how to treat common medical conditions, assess and guide you in the event of an emergency and issue prescriptions. If you need medication, Medgate will let you know the nearest open pharmacy and may even be able to forward your prescription to it.

Megate do not make prescriptions for a Covid-19 test ! Members of CERN personnel who have either tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected cases (i.e. having possible COVID-19 symptoms but untested) are requested to inform the Covid Helpline (covid19.helpline@cern.ch) urgently. The same applies if any household members show symptoms associated with COVID-19.

In a life-threatening emergency situation, you must first call the local or national emergency services, who will be able to respond more quickly.

For more information, you can consult the UNIQA Assistance-Telemedicine Information leaflet or contact UNIQA.

Happy New Year 2020!

With the New Year comes the time for resolutions: « Tomorrow, I’ll start working out! ». What a great idea! Returning to or starting a sport after the holidays will help you to start the year off right: being physically active helps you feel better both physically and mentally.

And the choice is particularly wide, the important thing being to devote at least 30 minutes to it every day: Cycling, jogging, swimming, aquagym, speed walking, rowing, hiking, dancing... as many sports as you can easily do, but be careful not to start without preparation!

CERN's clubs, which offer many opportunities, can help you to get into sport slowly and sustainably!

For more information click here!