Risks still too high to ease COVID rules - Swiss government

Reuters
·1 min read
FILE PHOTO: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Geneva

ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss government will not ease its remaining pandemic-related restrictions on public life for the time being, it said on Wednesday, citing unacceptably high risks of another wave of infections.

The state now requires people to show COVID-status certificates to enter bars, restaurants and other indoor spaces and events, in a move to relieve pressure on hospitals.

The government discussed the possibility of lifting the certificate requirement in certain cases, but decided against this.

"With schools reopening after the autumn break, the cooler season ahead, stagnating case numbers, the highly contagious Delta variant and a relatively low level of immunisation, it concluded that the risks are still too high for easing restrictions at present," it said.

"To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by another wave of infections, it intends to maintain the current certificate requirement for the time being and reassess the situation in mid-November."

Switzerland and tiny neighbour Liechtenstein have recorded nearly 860,000 infections and more than 10,800 deaths from COVID-19 since the coronavirus pandemic began. Around 62.5% of the population is fully vaccinated.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by John Revill)