People enjoy the sunshine at Lausanne on May 17, 2020.
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
One in ten Swiss residents has developed immunity to the new coronavirus, according to a top Swiss health official. Meanwhile, federal statistics reveal a sharp downward trend in corona-related infections and deaths.
“There will be no herd immunity in Switzerland during this first wave, as the coronavirus infection rate stands at only 10%,” Daniel Koch, head of communicable diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), told reporters on Monday.
Koch was referring to an ongoing herd community study External linkbeing carried out in canton Geneva that estimates the seroprevalence of the population and estimated percentage exposed to the virus.
The number of coronavirus cases has fallen steeply in Switzerland in recent days. On Monday, the FOPH reported only ten new official confirmed cases of infection, taking the total number of confirmed cases to over 30,000.
There were also no new coronavirus deaths in Switzerland over the previous 72 hours, FOPH statistics revealedExternal link. There have been a total of 1,883 reported deaths.
Koch described the downward trend as “extremely pleasing”, adding that “everything is on track”.
He said there were various reasons behind the fall: the behaviour of the population, the strict rules and seasonal factors.
“The numbers continue to go down. We hope there will be even fewer cases and infections in Switzerland. As a result, this will allow us to continue to ease restrictive measures,” he said.
Holiday weekends
Koch said the population should be able to enjoy the upcoming Ascension and Whitsun holiday weekends. But he insisted that residents should maintain social distancing and hygiene rules.
The government-imposed “emergency situation” and restrictions continue in Switzerland. All private and public events are banned, as are gatherings of more than five people.
But a three-stage plan to ease measures and to slowly re-open the country is underway. This includes plans to re-open Switzerland’s borders with Germany, Austria and France on June 15, if the situation allows.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland wants to examine cooperation with the EU in the defence sector
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to examine a security and defence partnership with the EU. Exploratory talks are to begin as soon as possible. Among other things, the partnership would be used for defence procurement.
Swiss trial shows organic farming is 85% as productive as conventional agriculture
This content was published on
This is shown by the results of a globally unique open-air trial that has been running for 47 years in Therwil in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.
Nestlé fined by Swiss canton for illegally filtered water
This content was published on
Nestlé has been fined CHF 500,000 in the canton of Vaud for the unauthorised use of activated carbon filters in the production of mineral water. The filters were used to produce Henniez water from 2008 to 2022.
Swiss government proposes restrictions on Ukrainian refugees
This content was published on
Only those whose life and limb are at risk in Ukraine and who flee to Switzerland are to be granted S status in future. The remaining Ukrainian refugees should apply for asylum. This is what the Federal Council is proposing.
This content was published on
The Fribourg parliament approved a sum of CHF6.4 million to renovate the ramparts, the walkway and the towers, as well as to replace the exterior lighting.
Swiss rental housing listings increase for the first time in three years
This content was published on
For the first time in three years, the number of advertisements for rental accommodation is on the rise, but this does not dampen demand, quite the contrary. In Ticino, the average duration of an advertisement published on the main portals is 30 days.
Switzerland doing relatively well when it comes to child vaccination rates
This content was published on
Progress in child immunisation has stalled. For decades, the number of children vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases has risen. But since 2010, vaccination rates have stagnated in many countries, according to a study.
This content was published on
Human remains were found and recovered on Tuesday as part of a search operation in the buried Valais mountain village of Blatten. Formal identification is underway, according to the Valais cantonal police.
Border restrictions relaxed for cross-border couples
This content was published on
Germany, Austria and Switzerland to lift travel restrictions for unmarried couples and for visiting relatives and second homes.
This content was published on
On June 15 Switzerland re-opened its borders with many other European states after improvements to the coronavirus situation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.