Switzerland can be in the midst of Omicron. reintroduce the mandate to work from home
Switzerland could reintroduce a work from home mandate to stop the increase in COVID-19 cases and limit the spread of the new variant of Omicron, the government said after an emergency meeting on Tuesday.
The government met to review the possible mandate and other proposed renewed restrictions amid Omicron, saying in a statement: “The combination of the rapid proliferation of the Omicron variant and the already heavy burden on hospitals could be problematic.”
The government is in talks with regional authorities about the potential mandate to work from home for the unvaccinated and those not suffering from COVID.
She had canceled a similar previous mandate at the end of June.
Another option under discussion is requiring workers to wear masks indoors.
The government has also proposed reducing the number of people admitted to private gatherings without a certificate stating whether they have been vaccinated, tested, or recovered from the virus.
If the measures are approved, they will apply until at least January 24th.
Switzerland has seen an increase in cases in the past few days, with confirmed daily infection numbers similar to the peaks seen in October and November 2020.
In the past two weeks, the number of new cases has risen by 86,000, officials said.
The country announced on Sunday that it had discovered its first case of the variant of Omicron, which has led to a surge in cases in South Africa.
While not much is known about Omicron, the World Health Organization described it as a “worrying variant”.
However, experts have said more research is needed to determine if it causes more serious diseases than previous strains.
With postal wires