Overall leader Aleksandr Vlasov tested positive the day after winning the fifth stage, the Russian rider’s team said. Bora-Hansgrohe team member Anton Palzer also tested positive on Friday morning.
The Alpecin-Fenix, Bahrain Victorious and UAE Team Emirates teams also withdrew from the sixth stage from Locarno to Moosalp on Friday, one day after the Jumbo-Visma squad left the eight-day race, which finishes Sunday.
Swiss rider Marc Hirschi of UAE Team Emirates also tested positive and is out of the race, while his roommate, Joel Suter, was withdrawn as a precaution, the team said.
“Unfortunately, like many other teams we have also had a surge in Covid-19 cases,” UAE team medical director Adrian Rotunno said.
The Israel Premier Tech and Education EF teams have also withdrawn several riders.
Tour de Suisse organisers have decided to continue the race despite the growing number of Covid-19 cases. The Swiss race is one of the last events to prepare for the three-week Tour de France, which starts in two weeks.
Surge in new sub-variant infections
European countries are experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of the highly infectious Omicron strain, threatening a fresh global wave of the disease.
Most European countries have so far detected low rates of the two subgroups. But in countries where the proportion has risen – such as Portugal – there have been surges in overall cases, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said on June 13.
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Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
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An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Switzerland announced the lifting of all remaining Covid-19 pandemic restrictions as of April 1. However, after three months of falling infections, new coronavirus infections have started rising again slightly, most likely due to two new Omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. A total of 16,610 new cases were reported on June 14 for the previous seven-day period. The seven-day daily average for new infections stood at 2,124, up 45% on the previous week.
BA.4 and BA.5 do not appear to carry a higher risk of severe disease than other forms of Omicron. But an increase in case numbers from higher transmission rates risks leading to an increase in hospitalisations and deaths, the ECDC said.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
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The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
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The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
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Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
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Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
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New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
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In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
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Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
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Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
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From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
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