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Swiss voters set to back government's COVID-19 response plan - poll

Guests sit outside of a restaurant in Zurich

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss voters look set to support the government's pandemic response plan in a binding referendum next month, a poll for broadcaster SRG showed on Friday.

The gfs.bern survey found 61% backed a law passed in March that expanded financial aid to people hit by the COVID-19 crisis and laid the foundation for certificates the government requires to facilitate travel abroad and allow certain events to be held.

The survey found 36% opposed and 3% were undecided before the Nov. 28 referendum under the Swiss system of direct democracy. The poll's margin of error was 2.8 percentage points.

In two other votes that day, the Swiss would easily support a labour union-backed proposal to boost the nursing profession, the poll found.

A vote on whether to select federal judges by lottery from a pool of candidates proposed by experts was still too close to call. The government opposes the idea, which aims to reduce political pressure on the judiciary.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Kim Coghill)