
Switzerland will lift coronavirus-imposed restrictions at its borderswithallEuropean Union, European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries,Norway, Iceland and Liechtensteinand the United Kingdom from June 15.
The decision was reached after a virtual meeting between interior ministers from the Schengen area, with a large number of European countries deciding to follow a similar path, Bern said in a statement.
Swiss authorities had already announced in mid-May plans to reopen the country's borders with its immediate neighbours, except Italy, on that date, and to the rest of the Schengen passport-free area by early July.
But with most European countries appearing to gain significant control over their COVID-19 outbreaks, Bern said in a statement that the "epidemiological situation" made a faster and broader opening possible.
A spokeswoman for the justice ministry confirmed that Italy, the country in Europe that has been hardest-hit by the pandemic was included in the decision.
Switzerland’ssouthernneighbourItaly lifted its border controls with Switzerland on June 3, but the Swiss government said a similar move on the Swiss side would be premature.