Swiss gear up for tighter rules as COVID cases keep climbing

GENEVA (AP) — Facing a new surge in COVID-19 cases, the Swiss government is preparing to step up mask requirements and increase restrictions on people who haven’t been vaccinated or recovered from the illness. It could go so far as to shut restaurants, bars and fitness clubs. The count of daily deaths linked to the pandemic hit its highest level since January on Friday. Health Minister Alain Berset laid out two alternative proposals for a country where some two-thirds of the population is fully vaccinated, a lower percentage than in some of its Western European neighbors.