Switzerland has become the latest country in Europe to tighten measures in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Restuarants and facilities for culture, sports and leisure will have to close from Tuesday 22 December. Shops, while allowed to remain open, will have to operate with a limited capacity, Swiss Confederation President Simonetta Sommaruga announced on Friday.
The restrictions will be in place until at least 22 January. However, cantons with reproduction rates below 1.0 or with 7-day case averages lower than the national average can relax their measures for restaurants and sports centres, Swiss Info reports.
Ski resorts, meanwhile, will remain open, but will have to introduce the same restrictive measures as for shops.
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The country sees more than 4,000 new cases on a daily basis. Together with the Principality of Liechtenstein, which is included in the Federal Office of Public Health’s status report, the country has seen 403,989 confirmed cases since 24 February, and 6,003 deaths.
Switzerland follows countries like Germany and the Netherlands, both of which are now on lockdown, in tightening coronavirus measures.
Belgium's Consultative Committee is expected to give an update on Belgian measures tonight as new daily infections have risen for the sixth day in a row.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
