TripZillaSwitzerland is the world’s safest country for travellers in 2020, according to travel insurance company Insurly. This mountainous destination topped the “2020 Ranking of the World’s Safest Countries.” The ranking came from a study that evaluated countries based on four criteria: the quality of health care, the risk of violent crime, the risk of transport, and the frequency of natural disasters. Earning an overall score of 93.4 out of 100, Switzerland placed ahead of Singapore, Norway, Luxembourg, and Cyprus.
However, this peaceful country faces a new threat with the coronavirus (COVID-19), which is quickly spreading throughout Europe.
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On Thursday morning, 27 Feb 2020, Swiss authorities confirmed a total of six positive cases of COVID-19 in Switzerland. The first case was traced to Ticino, a southern canton that borders the Italian region of Lombardy, which has recently become the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in Northern Italy.
Adding to the number of cases in Switzerland are a 28-year-old man in Geneva, a 30-year-old woman in Zurich, a 26-year-old man in Aargau, and two children in Graubünden. All of these patients have travelled from Italy, and upon journeying to Switzerland, tested positive for the virus.
Currently, these individuals are being treated in isolation units at local hospitals and are reported to be doing well. Meanwhile, the Swiss government has announced that further measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and that their laboratories are ready to conduct tests for early detection.
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Due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Europe, travellers may wish to exercise caution before booking flights there.
