ZURICH – Health authorities on Monday closed two hotels and ski schools in the posh Swiss resort of St. Moritz placed in quarantine to try to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious new coronavirus variant.
The eastern Swiss canton of Grisons has ordered everyone to wear masks in the city of 5,200 residents who are proud of the birthplace of modern winter sports. Mass testing of residents takes place on Tuesday. Schools and day care facilities were closed.
“About a dozen cases are currently known in two hotels. To protect the health of the population and guests, the health department has quarantined the two hotels and ordered corona tests for their employees and guests,” the canton said. said in a statement.
It did not want to name the hotels and assumed that foreigners are among the guests, but it does not give their nationalities.
The canton said authorities had identified the N501Y virus mutation, which was reported in variants first identified in Britain and South Africa. The canton did not immediately say whether the variant apparently came from Britain or South Africa.
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While closing restaurants, pubs, theaters and leisure venues to curb the spread of the disease, Switzerland has left ski lifts open as long as they wear measures such as masks to protect public health. St. Moritz ski areas also remain open after the outbreak of the variation.