Speaking after a meeting between the federal government and the cantons on Thursday afternoon, Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset told the media “the corona situation is under control”. 

“The contact tracing in the cantons works”. 

The statement comes after Switzerland reported more than 300 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday. 

This marked the first time more than 300 infections were recorded since mid-April. A further 266 infections were recorded on Thursday. 

‘Under control: No new wave’

Marcel Tanner, from the Federal Office of Public Health, told Swiss media outlet Watson that the figures were not concerning as they came from across Switzerland – rather than in one cantonal cluster. 

“It doesn't matter whether 299 or 311. It is not about a precise upper limit. The decisive factor is how the new infections are distributed in the country,” Tanner said, 

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“If hundreds of cases take place in a single location, the contact tracing system can reach its limits at 200 because the system is overloaded. 

“If the number of infections is over 300 in just one day, this is still feasible. But if this goes on for several days or if the number of new infections increases continuously, then the capacity of contact tracing in the cantons will reach its limit and we may end up in a wave.”

Tanner said it was not easy to determine the cause of the new outbreaks, however the investigations will be improved by the use of contact tracing.