Swiss government decides against further Covid restrictions
The government says the epidemiological situation in Switzerland remains worrying, but it believes the measures taken on December 18 are appropriate and do not need to be tightened.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Governo suíço decide não reforçar as medidas contra a pandemia
In a statementExternal link on Wednesday it said would continue to monitor developments closely and would reassess the situation on January 6.
On December 18 the government closed all restaurants and bars, sports and recreation centres and other cultural institutions for a month. It controversially allowed cantons to decide whether to let ski areas remain open.
More
More
New anti-corona measures: restaurants closed, ski areas open
This content was published on
Switzerland to close restaurants, bars for a month from Tuesday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, ski areas remain open, the government says.
The reproduction value of the virus is currently below 1 (0.86 on December 18), the government noted on Wednesday. “However, this decrease and the low number of new cases reported in recent days should be viewed with great caution. They can be explained to a considerable extent by the decrease in tests carried out during the holidays and the delay in reporting new cases, hospitalisations and deaths,” it said.
On Tuesday the president of the government’s Covid-19 scientific taskforce called for an immediate reduction in the “sad” number of cases and for widespread testing of the population.
More
More
Covid taskforce: ‘Switzerland must get out of the risk zone’
This content was published on
The Swiss government’s Covid-19 scientific taskforce has called for widespread testing and an immediate reduction in the “sad” number of cases.
Following the appearance of new fast-spreading variants of the coronavirus in the UK and South Africa, the government took measures on December 21 to prevent or slow down their spread in Switzerland.
“To date, seven people infected with this new variant have been identified thanks to the intensified sequencing of positive tests,” it said.
More
More
Swiss impose entry ban for travellers from UK and South Africa
This content was published on
Switzerland has imposed a ten-day retrospective quarantine and general entry ban on visitors from the UK and South Africa.
The government said the measures decided on December 18 were therefore all the more important to limit the number of new cases and slow the spread of these new variants. However, “if these new variants continue to spread, further measures cannot be ruled out”.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 447,905 people have tested positive for the virus and 7,005 have died in Switzerland, which has a population of 8.5 million.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
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.