Wearing a burka or niqab in public has been banned in the Swiss region of Ticino, with offenders facing a fine of up to £6,500.
The region's parliament approved the law on Monday, which will ban full-face veils, worn by women in many Muslim countries, in the wake of heightened terrorist alerts across Europe, Swiss news site The Local reports.
It is now a criminal offence for women in the Italian-speaking canton in southern Switzerland to cover their faces with the garments in all public places, including shops, restaurants, public buildings and behind the wheel of a car.
No exceptions will be made for tourists, .