Swiss street artist pays tribute to unsung coronavirus heroes

Street artist David Perez has found his own way to pay tribute in Switzerland to the people he regards as the unsung heroes of the coronavirus crisis.

Perez, 35, has adorned a pedestrian underpass in the town of Gland with a portrait of a masked cashier scanning a bottle of soap and plans to add other figures, such as construction workers or dustmen, to the mural.

"Today, I will especially pay tribute to cashiers. They are on the frontline with nurses and others," he told Reuters.

He said his mural, adding colour to a "sad-looking wall", was "for our everyday superheroes."

Switzerland has recommended that its citizens stay indoors during the coronavirus.

The Swiss death toll rose on Monday to 584 from 559 people on Sunday, while the number of positive tests increased to 21,652 from 21,100 on Sunday, a less steep rise than of late.