ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland on Saturday extended quarantine requirements to stem the spread of the new type of Omicron coronavirus for travelers from Britain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Egypt and Malawi where cases have been found. Ministry of Health.

On Friday, Switzerland banned direct flights from South Africa and the surrounding region due to the discovery of a new type of emerging coronavirus, with restrictions imposed on travel from other countries, including Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.

Entry from those countries is only possible for Swiss citizens or those who have a residence permit in Switzerland or the Schengen area of ​​Europe.

The Federal Office of Public Health said that travelers from Britain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Egypt and Malawi, after discovering new cases of omicron, will now have to submit a negative COVID-19 test and undergo a 10-day quarantine. in a tweet.

The agency did not clarify whether travel from those countries would be restricted to Swiss citizens and residents.

Two cases of the new variant of the Omicron coronavirus have also been detected in the southern state of Bavaria and Itlay, both neighbors of Switzerland, but so far the alpine country has not imposed travel restrictions on any country with which it shares a border.

(Reporting by Brianna Hughes-Nigaywe. Editing in Spanish by Marion Giraldo)