HUNDREDS OF BRITONS ‘ESCAPE’ FROM SWISS QUARANTINE

Hundreds of guests supposed to quarantine in connection with a recently discovered mutation of the coronavirus have disappeared from the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, which is very popular with Britons, Christiane Oelrich reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Some have since re-emerged in France, Jean-Marc Sandoz, spokesman for the municipality of Bagnes, to which Verbier belongs, told dpa on Sunday.

Swiss authorities had identified 420 guests from Britain who had quarantined before Christmas.

About 50 left immediately, and of the 370 others, less than a dozen were still there on Sunday, he said.

"We understand their anger," Sandoz added.

He sharply criticized the hastily and retroactively introduced quarantine requirements for people arriving from Britain. "Families with small children suddenly got stuck on 20 square meters," said Sandoz. "It was unbearable."

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