Swiss make masks compulsory

Geneva: Wearing a facemask on public transport will become compulsory, Switzerland said on Wednesday, following a resurgence in Covid-19 cases in a country that had largely got the virus under control.

The wealthy landlocked country fully reopened its borders on June 15 and said the rise in cases was due to infected people entering the country, as it imposed 10-day quarantine measures on new arrivals from countries deemed to pose a risk.

The number of cases in Switzerland had been at a low and stable level for weeks but began to tick upwards in the second half of June as the wealthy nation lifted most of its remaining lockdown restrictions.

"Given the increasing use of public transport and the increase in cases since mid-June, the government decided to make wearing a mask mandatory on public transport," the government said in a statement. The rule will apply from Monday to people aged 12 and above. Currently, wearing a mask on public transport is recommended rather than compulsory.