(CNN) – British tourists fled Verbier’s Swiss ski resort “clandestinely” under cover of darkness, instead of subjecting themselves to a new quarantine imposed on UK visitors, a local official said on Monday.
On December 21, the Swiss Federal Council imposed an entry ban and a retroactive 10-day quarantine period on all travelers from the UK and South Africa – which detected another new variant – that is, anyone who entered in Switzerland of the two countries since December 14 it is necessary for quarantine.
“Some British tourists left immediately, while others decided to stay a little longer. Some fled the night,” Jean-Marc Sandoz, a spokesman for the city of Bagnes, about 20 minutes from Verbier, told CNN.
“They left … as soon as they found their way back to their homes,” he added, recalling that the exact number of tourists who left the resort has not been confirmed.
According to Sandoz, 370 tourists in the UK were registered as required to comply with the 10-day quarantine order.
“Some of them had to leave for France, because the planes for the United Kingdom are suspended in Switzerland,” said Sandoz.
“You can’t blame them. In most cases, the quarantine was unbearable. Imagine staying with four people in a 20 square meter hotel room and they had to pay to stay at a Swiss ski resort, ”he added.
According to the head of the Verbier Tourism Office, Simon Wiget, British tourists usually represent 21% of tourists staying at the resort.
While scientists are looking for more information about the variant discovered in the UK, its impact is already being felt.
Authorities increased pandemic restrictions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during the festive period.
New cases of the variant have been detected worldwide, in countries like Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, Jordan, Japan, Holland, Norway, South Korea, Spain and Sweden.