A majority of Swiss voters favour introducing a nationwide ban on wearing face-covering garments in public spaces.<br/> According to a Tamedia poll of 15,000 eligible voters on Friday, 63 per cent of those questioned said they would vote yes or were considering voting yes in an upcoming vote on face coverings, the <em>Tages Anzeiger</em> newspaper reported. The referendum is on March 7, when the Swiss will also vote on a range of other issues as part of the country's direct democratic system. The proposed ban does not include Covid-19 face masks as these come within exemptions for "health reasons" and in "places of worship". The text does not mention Muslim veils explicitly, stating only that "no one shall cover their face in public, nor in areas accessible to the public or in areas where services are ordinarily accessible to all".<br/> But the proposal, which is opposed by the Swiss government, is widely seen as targeting burqas and other face-covering Muslim veils.<br/> Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter announced this week that the government opposed the nationwide ban, and said that women wearing full body-covering veils were rarely seen in Switzerland – and most who do are tourists.<br/> Ms Keller-Sutter said the matter should be left up to Switzerland's 26 cantons.<br/> Ticino and St Gallen have already introduced a ban, while Zurich, Solothurn and Glarus in recent years resisted moves to do so.<br/> The government and the Swiss parliament are backing a counter-proposal that requires people to reveal their faces to authorities for identification purposes, for instance at borders or on public transport.<br/> Fines of up to 10,000 Swiss francs ($11,300) could be given to those who refuse.
