Over 200 British Nationals Under Self-Quarantine Flee from Swiss Ski Resort... Health Authorities on Alert

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Hundreds of British tourists who were ordered to quarantine to prevent the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a famous ski resort in Switzerland fled the area.

According to the British daily The Guardian on the 27th (local time), it was confirmed that more than 200 British tourists who were quarantined at a ski resort in Verbier, Switzerland, recently sneaked out of their accommodations.

Authorities stated that about half of the 420 people subject to quarantine disappeared, and some of them appeared in France.

The Swiss government ordered all entrants from the UK after the 14th to self-quarantine for ten days on the 21st to prevent the spread of the UK-origin COVID-19 variant.

This measure also applied to British tourists staying in Verbier, a world-renowned ski resort. Verbier is so popular among British tourists that they usually account for 20% of winter visitors, earning it the nickname "Little London" among locals.

Local authorities explained, "Most of those subject to quarantine followed the guidelines for about a day before secretly escaping."

The fact that British tourists fled was revealed after the accommodation staff noticed that they did not answer phone calls and did not touch their meals.

Authorities said that the whereabouts of the British tourists are currently unclear. Some reportedly called the accommodation they 'escaped' from to inquire whether they needed to pay for their stay.

The variant virus, first identified in southeast England in September, is known to be up to 70% more transmissible than the existing COVID-19 virus.

There have been two cases of the UK-origin variant infection reported in Switzerland as well.

So far, more than 40 countries, including Switzerland and South Korea, have restricted entry from the UK to prevent the introduction and spread of the variant.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.