Swiss shorten quarantine period to five days as Omicron spreads

Switzerland will shorten isolation and quarantine to five days from 10 as an increasing number of countries reduce their guidance to avoid disruptions to essential services. 

Anyone ending isolation after contraction will have to have been symptom-free for 48 hours, the government said Wednesday. Those who have had the virus or a vaccine in the past four months won’t have to go into contact quarantine. The measures take effect from Thursday.

More nations are cutting quarantine periods as the highly-transmissible omicron variant leads to record numbers of infections and workers either on sick leave or in quarantine. So far, the omicron wave has been characterised by fewer symptomatic cases and lower death rates, though the sheer number of infections poses a risk to healthcare infrastructure. 

Switzerland, like many other countries, has seen record infections at the start of this year. The government is also considering extending current restrictions until the end of March as it seeks to avoid overstretched hospitals. 

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