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| - The Swiss government announced Friday that more people will be permitted to gather privately, but other Covid-19 restrictions remain in place as a third wave of infections looms. Switzerland had been expected to continue lifting a range of restrictions, imposed in December and January after a major spike in cases. It had allowed museums and non-essential shops to reopen from March 1, and had signalled it could allow outdoor areas at restaurants and bars to reopen, and change the requirement to work from home, from next Monday. But Health Minister Alain Berset said Friday it was too soon to remove most restrictions, warning of the danger of a "third wave" of infections. He pointed out that most neighbouring European countries were adding restrictions, not lifting them, "which is something we are trying to avoid." "We are simply trying, for the third wave, to ensure we do not lose control," he told a media conference. "We have lost control twice, and we are trying to avoid doing so a third time." As of Monday 10 people will be allowed to attend indoor private gatherings, up from five currently. However, "the risk of an uncontrolled increase in case numbers is too great at the moment to allow for loosening in other areas," the government said in a statement. "The number of infections has in fact been growing since the end of February, and there are still too few people who have been vaccinated to rule out a strong increase in hospitalisations," it said. Switzerland, a country of 8.6 million people, has to date counted nearly 578,000 cases of the virus, and 9,455 deaths. So far, 432,000 people in the wealthy Alpine country have been fully vaccinated. But the Swiss government voiced concern that the spread of new variants of Covid-19 could threaten the progress made through vaccination. In its statement, it pointed to indications that such variants, which currently make up more than 80 percent of all new cases detected, "are not only much more contagious but also more deadly". Authorities also warned that three of the four criteria they had listed for lifting restrictions are not in place. In the past two weeks, there have been more than 200 positive tests for every 100,000 people, and the positive test rate is above five percent. At the same time, the reproduction rate, indicating the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus to, stands at 1.14 -- well above the 1.0 threshold. When the figure falls below 1 it means the epidemic is shrinking. The rate of hospital beds occupied by Covid patients meanwhile remains relatively low, making it the only positive indicator. The government stressed that the main aim now is to "preserve the favourable conditions necessary for rolling out the vaccination campaign successfully in coming months." It said it hopes to be able to begin lifting restrictions after Easter, with an announcement expected on April 14. vog-nl/rjm/pvh
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