Switzerland to drop all remaining COVID restrictions from Friday

The Swiss government announced Wednesday that the last remaining public health measures to tackle COVID-19 will be lifted from Friday, including the compulsory wearing of masks on public transport.

“The assessment of the situation is positive. Infections are falling in all age categories. The situation in intensive care is stable; an overload of hospital capacities seems unlikely,” Switzerland’s Interior Minister Alain Berset told journalists in Bern.

“Those who would still like to wear a mask must be able to do so. You must have tolerance and respect.”

The government had removed many restrictions on Feb. 16, but the number of vaccinated people has hardly budged, and cases have not dramatically plummeted.