India added to Swiss Covid quarantine list

India’s Covid infections continue to hit a record high, as countries around the world pledged to send urgent medical aid to help battle the crisis overwhelming its hospitals. Keystone/ Piyal Adhikary

Switzerland has added India to its list of countries at high risk of Covid-19 in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

As of Monday evening, travellers must immediately enter quarantine following the surge of cases in the subcontinent, according to the Federal Office of Public HealthExternal link.

Until now Swiss citizens or people with a residence permit from India were allowed to enter Switzerland from India.

The move came after a first case of the Indian Covid variant was announced in Switzerland on Saturday.

The health office said the sample with the Indian coronavirus mutation dated from the end of March. The passenger had entered Switzerland from a European country as a transit passenger and not directly from India.

India’s new coronavirus infections hit a record high for a fifth straight day on Monday, as countries around the world pledged to send urgent medical aid to help battle the crisis overwhelming its hospitals.

Mexico, Egypt, Argentina

With effect from next Monday, Argentina, Egypt, Mexico and Qatar were also put on the Health Office list of high-risk countries.

Switzerland has recorded more than 42,600 cases with Covid-19 variants, mainly the British strain, but also more than 200 cases of the South African variant and 14 known cases with the Brazilian variant.

But more than 25,300 cases could not be fully identified according to the health authorities.