The Swiss government has ordered all restaurants, sports and recreation centres closed for a month from Tuesday and urged people to stay home to curb stubbornly high coronavirus infection rates that prompted calls from scientists and medical professionals for tighter measures.

Confirmed cases in Switzerland and neighbouring Liechtenstein have surpassed 400,000 and the death toll has topped 6,000 as the cabinet today backed away from its “middle path” that had aimed to avoid a second business-crippling lockdown.