ZURICH – Health officials quarantined two hotels and closed ski schools at the luxury Swiss resort of St. Moritz on Monday to try to contain an outbreak of the new, highly infectious coronavirus variant.
The canton of Grisons, in eastern Switzerland, ordered everyone to wear masks in the city of 5,200 inhabitants that prides itself on being the birthplace of modern winter sports. The mass test of residents will take place on Tuesday. Schools and day care centers are closed.
“About a dozen cases are currently known in two hotels. To protect the health of the population and guests, the health department quarantined the two hotels and ordered corona tests for their staff and guests,” said the canton in a statement. communicated.
He declined to name the hotels and said he assumed that there were foreigners among the guests, but did not state their nationalities.
The canton said that the authorities had identified the N501Y virus mutation, which was reported in the variants first identified in Britain and South Africa. The canton did not immediately say whether the variant came from Britain or South Africa. South.
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While closing restaurants, bars, theaters and recreational facilities to limit the spread of the disease, Switzerland has left the cable cars open, as long as they maintain measures such as wearing masks to protect public health. The ski areas of St. Moritz also remain open after the outbreak of the variant.