Traffic to the south is greatly reduced and once is not customary, there was no traffic jam at Gotthard on Easter Friday. Some travelers to Ticino were even convinced by the police to turn back.
Visibly, people respect the authorities’ call not to drive to Ticino, which is particularly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, said a spokesperson for Viasuisse Keystone-ATS. The day before, there were no traffic jams at Gotthard. According to Viasuisse, no road was closed. The passes are still subject to winter closure.
The cantonal police of Uri set up a checkpoint near Gschenen (UR) on the A2 motorway. She informs travelers about the situation of coronavirus in Ticino Easter and tries to dissuade them from continuing their journey. Drivers of two cars were convinced to turn around before noon Friday, police said.
In the canton of Graubünden, the police controlled traffic on the A13 via the San Bernardino. About ten percent of the drivers agreed to turn around, said Roger Padrun, the deputy chief of the traffic police, on Friday at the SRF German television.
300 vehicles stopped per day
Since Wednesday, the cantonal police of Uri have arrested around 300 vehicles per day. Most of the drivers understood the call not to go to Ticino, but gave important reasons for continuing their journey.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the drivers mainly traveled for business or live in Ticino and work north of the Gotthard. Some people have a secondary residence in Ticino. Foreign tourists could be counted on the fingers of one hand, according to the cantonal police of Iran.
In absolute numbers, the police record around 1,800 vehicles per day. In the other years, more than 17,000 cars were registered in the direction of Ticino.
(nxp / ats)
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