New Delhi (NVI): Hundreds of British tourists have fled the Swiss ski resort of Verbier this week, breaking quarantine rules retroactively put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus variant first discovered in the UK.
Following the detection of the new mutation of Covid-19 in Britain, Swiss authorities announced on December 21 that all people who had arrived from the UK since December 14 would need to self-isolate for 10 days from their date of arrival.
The new quarantine rules also applied to hundreds of British tourists who had planned to spend the Christmas break in Verbier, an alpine village located in the municipality of Bagnes in Canton du Valais
Swiss authorities managed to track down 420 visitors from the UK, who were told go into quarantine.
Around 200 of the 420 or so affected British tourists in the luxury Alpine ski station quit under the cover of darkness, according to media reports.
Hoteliers reportedly noticed guests had secretly departed when calls to rooms went unanswered and meals left outside doors were untouched.
Switzerland, which is facing its own surge in Covid cases, last week ordered the closure of restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports facilities.
-CHK
