The first case of the new Omicron Covid variant has been detected in Switzerland according to a government announcement on Sunday, as the country tightens restrictions in an attempt to curb the spread.

The Federal Office for Public Health said on Twitter that the detected case relates to a person who travelled to Switzerland from South Africa a week ago, Reuters reports.

According to a government statement on Friday: “All direct flights from the region of southern Africa are banned. When entering from the South Africa region, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium (where cases have been detected), all persons must also present a negative Covid-19 test from November 26, 2021, 8pm and be in quarantine for ten days.”

The statement added: “All flights from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are banned for an indefinite period.” Special permits will be issued to repatriate Swiss citizens or residents who are currently in these countries.

Switzerland has since ordered people travelling from a total of 19 countries to provide a negative test when boarding a flight to the country, and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Among the countries that have been added to the list are Australia, Denmark, Britain, Czech Republic and Israel.

On Sunday, voters in Switzerland supported the government’s pandemic response plans in a referendum. Around 62.01% voted in favour of the law approved earlier in the year to offer financial aid to those affected by the coronavirus crisis, as well as certificates proving vaccination, recovery or a negative test.

In addition, Swiss authorities are advising Covid booster jabs for all over 16s due to the increasing number of cases. The boosters were previously only available for over 65s or those with underlying health problems.

According to SwissInfo, the total number of Covid cases has been rising substantially since the middle of October. As of Friday, 8,032 new cases were reported, 50% more than the numbers early last week.