ZURICH: Rail connections between Italy and Switzerland will no longer be halted due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, the Italian transport ministry said on Wednesday.

All cross-border trains between the two countries had been due to be stopped from Thursday because rail personnel did not have enough capacity to carry out COVID-19 safety checks ordered by the Italian government.

But connections have now been confirmed after Italy's transport minister Paola De Micheli spoke with her Swiss counterpart Simonetta Sommaruga, the Italian Transport Ministry said.