GOESCHENEN, Switzerland: A road under the Alps to the sunny south of Switzerland normally jammed with holiday-makers was deserted on Friday (Apr 10) as police warned drivers against travelling to the region worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officers stopped all vehicles heading towards the Gotthard Tunnel after the government appealed for people not to travel over the Easter weekend to stem transmissions of COVID-19, the highly contagious lung disease caused by the virus.



Ticino, bordering Italy, is beloved by the Swiss for its lakes and Mediterranean climate, with many having second homes in the southern canton. But Ticino has been hard hit by the outbreak, suffering 18 per cent of the country's COVID-19 deaths, and its businesses, restaurants, bars and hotels have closed.

A motoricyclist is seen on the motorway near the northern entrance of the St Gotthard road tunnel, in Goeschenen, Switzerland, Apr 10, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)

Although the Gotthard tunnel has not been closed and driving to Ticino is not illegal, every car heading there has been stopped, with officers from the cantons of Uri and Ticino speaking to the occupants.

All have been handed notices saying: "It is not the right time to visit Ticino," and "You are a burden for the infrastructure and are endangering yourself and others including health workers."



Normally 18,000 cars per day travel south on the motorway, causing tailbacks of up to 15km. This has been reduced to a trickle, police said, with the number of drivers down by 90 per cent.

Police officers speak to a motorcylist at a checkpoint on the motorway near the northern entrance of the St Gotthard road tunnel, in Goeschenen, Switzerland, Apr 10, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)

"We are very pleased with the operation so far," said Reto Pfister, commander of Uri Police, told Reuters. "The main success has been people not deciding to travel at all.

"Around 98 per cent of the people travelling south have a good reason to go to Ticino - because they live there or have family there or very important business. Only a very few people are traveling south for holidays in Ticino or to have fun."

Police officers control drivers at a checkpoint on the motorway near the northern entrance of the St Gotthard road tunnel, in Goeschenen, Switzerland, Apr 10, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Arnd Wiegmann)

Around 300 cars were stopped on Friday, with police telling the occupants about the dangers of going to Ticino and how going there made it harder to contain the virus, Pfister said.

"Everyone understands why we are stopping them," said Pfister. "One car even decided to turn around and go back after we spoke to them today so the message is getting through."

Police will publish details on Monday on how many cars they stopped during the operation.

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