Hundreds of British tourists have fled a ski resort in the Swiss Alps despite being told to quarantine because of the new coronavirus variant. The 200 Britons, which make up around half of those told to isolate in the resort of Verbier, are said to have made discreet night-time departures as they attempted to escape the latest restrictions. "Many of them stayed in quarantine for a day before they left unnoticed under cover of darkness," local communications officer Jean-Marc Sandoz told SonntagsZeitung. He added that it was not yet clear where many of them had gone as there had been no flights between the UK and Switzerland at that time. Some, he said, were known to have traveled across the border to France. The Swiss government recently introduced the 10-day quarantine period for anyone who had traveled from the UK to Switzerland since Dec. 14. It came as a response to the new variant of COVID-19, which is believed to be far more transmissible than the original, and was the reason for the British government's decision to drastically roll back plans for a relaxed Christmas. "That was the worst week our community has ever experienced," Sandoz said of the isolation, which a local hotelier also referred to when she likened her job to that of a prison guard. According to Sandoz, the hoteliers had discovered their guests' had breached the restrictions after calls to their rooms were unanswered and food left outside their doors was left untouched. He said he "couldn't blame them" for leaving and being "a little angry at Switzerland" as 20 square meters spaces were "untenable". No cases of the new variant have so far been confirmed in Verbier; however, they have been discovered elsewhere in the country. — Euronews
