“We need a strong reaction across the country and we need it now…it is the only way to surmount this crisis,” Simonetta Sommaruga, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency for 2020, told reporters.
The government banned all private and public events starting at midnight on March 17. It also ordered the closure of bars, restaurants, sports facilities and cultural spaces. Only businesses providing essential goods to the population – such as grocery stores, bakeries and pharmacies – are to remain open. The new measures are in place until April 19.
“We know that this decision disrupts the daily life of our country,” said Interior Minister Alain Berset, warning that the situation would get worse before it gets better.
Hospitals and clinics must stay open but only for necessary procedures. Up to 8,000 members of the military will be mobilised to help contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus.
The Swiss government has also decided to introduce border checks with Germany, France and Austria. Only Swiss citizens, Swiss residents and people traveling to Switzerland for business are allowed to enter the Alpine nation. Switzerland is particularly affected by the coronavirus epidemic. More than 2,200 people have been infected in the country and nearly 20 people have died.
Source: swissinfo.ch
More info about situation in Switzerland, visit: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/covid-19_coronavirus--the-situation-in-switzerland/45592192