Swiss infection rate will take a week to slow

The rate of new coronavirus infections in Switzerland will not ease for around another week, says a top health official. The number of cases saw its biggest daily rise of 1,273 on March 21, bringing the total number of infected to more than 6,100 with 56 deaths. The government has banned gatherings of more than five people, warning that CHF100 fines will be handed out to violators. Daniel Koch, head of communicable diseases at the Federal Office of Public Health, said it would take several days for the new restrictions to slow infection rates. “I am confident that we will probably see a flattening of the curve in a week. I am also confident that our death rate will remain much better than that of Italy,” Koch told a press conference. “But only if the population now adheres very strictly to the requirements.” But Koch made it clear that a flattening of the curve would not signal that Switzerland is out of danger. While acknowledging that the situation in canton Ticino, bordering ...