|
 "Infections with the coronavirus are rising again strongly and
quickly. Time is thus running out again and we are calling on the
entire population to contribute to keeping the virus in check,"
President Simonetta Sommaruga told a news conference in Bern after
federal and cantonal officials met.
"The faster we react, the smaller the restrictions for the
population and the economy," she added.
New infections rose by 2,613 cases on Thursday, the second-highest
daily total after Wednesday's record.
Health Minister Alain Berset said the authorities were concerned but
considered the matter to be under control.
"The goal is to avoid a lockdown and overloading hospitals," he
said, noting the situation was not comparable to February and March,
when the pandemic took authorities by surprise.
He said he saw no reason to stop large events like soccer and ice
hockey matches given elaborate safety regimes in place.
[to top of second column] |
Switzerland has been adding to its list of places from which travellers must
enter quarantine but the federal government has not tightened domestic
restrictions on public life since ending nearly all emergency measures in June.
That is when it handed responsibility to cantons, where rules on public
gatherings and mask requirements vary widely.
Encouraged by falling infection rates, Switzerland had in April begun easing
sweeping measures, including shuttering schools, non-essential shops and many
businesses for more than a month.
It has also extended billions in aid to businesses, but the economy still had
its sharpest decline in the second quarter since quarterly records began in
1980.
(Reporting by Michael Shields, Editing by John Revill)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
