Swiss residents who break government directives amid the country's gas shortage and keep their homes above 19 degrees in winter could be fined. This was said by the spokesman of the Federal Department of Economics, Markus Shpundli, in an interview with the newspaper Blick.

"Breaches of the Public Supply Act are misdemeanors or even crimes and should be prosecuted," he said.

However, the newspaper notes that willful repeated violations of the austerity rules can lead to a sentence of three years in prison.

On August 31, Switzerland launched a national campaign to prevent the interruption of electricity and gas supplies during the coming winter. The motto of the campaign is "Energy is limited - let's not waste it". The government has also drawn up an action plan to deal with gas shortages, including the introduction of gas consumption quotas. It called for a voluntary 15% reduction in gas consumption between October and March. For its part, Swiss law enforcement agencies are preparing for "emergency scenarios" in the event of a power outage or a total blackout, as riots and looting in blackout conditions are not out of the question, said police director general Freddie Fessler.

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