Swiss president tests positive for COVID-19 as country opens

FILE PHOTO: Swiss President Ignazio Cassis and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (not pictured) meet in Geneva, Switzerland, January 21, 2022. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss President Ignazio Cassis has tested positive for COVID-19, the government said on Thursday, the day Switzerland removed almost all restrictions on public life after 23 months of curbs.

Cassis, who is also foreign minister and a medical doctor, took a PCR test on Wednesday and went into isolation on Thursday upon receiving a positive result, the government said.

He has no symptoms and is in good health, it said, adding he was working from home and had cancelled plans to attend events including the Munich Security Conference on Friday and Saturday.

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)