Switzerland ups measures amid 841 new coronavirus cases

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA (AA) - Switzerland on Sunday confirmed 841 new cases of coronavirus, raising the tally to 2,200, the country's health authority said.

The Federal Office of Public Health in Switzerland said the death toll has risen to 14.

All schools were closed in the country as part of measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

Switzerland’s official news website Swissinfo reported that “for the first time, the Swiss army will deploy a hospital battalion on March 16 to support other civilian hospitals; it can welcome 200 patients.”

In France, health minister Oliver Veran said that a total of 29 people died of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the death toll in the country to 120.

The cases confirmed in the country have risen to 5400, Veran added.

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands all schools and daycare centers will be closed across the country until April 6, Education Minister Arie Slobs said on Sunday.

The country’s Health Minister Bruno Bruins announced the closure of sports clubs, cafes and restaurants.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus is officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700 with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared the outbreak a pandemic and Europe its epicenter.