A referendum aimed at preventing the Swiss government from introducing compulsory vaccinations has collected more than the required 100,000 signatures to put the question to Swiss voters. In addition, the signatures have been verified by the authorities, according to 20 Minutes. Vote organisers announced the collection of around 125,000 signatures. After official counting and verification […]
New Swiss plates for bike racks launched
From 1 March 2022 it will be possible to order extra licence plates for a bike rack from the cantonal authorities, announced Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office. This will remove the need to transfer car plates to the bike rack. It is expected that the first plates will be delivered from the end of March 2022. […]
Buying a ticket once a train has departed can be very expensive in Switzerland
Recently, a 72 year old man was fined CHF 90 francs after he bought a train ticket on his phone 1.5 minutes after his train departed, reported Le Matin. On 11 January 2022, the man caught a train from Lenzburg in the canton of Aargau. Trying to buy his ticket before boarding, the man found […]
Switzerland may be forced to leave Schengen warns Swiss minister
This week, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of police and justice, warned a gathering of EU ministers that Switzerland could be forced to leave the Schengen zone if a referendum scheduled for 15 May 2022 is successful, reported RTS. The Schengen zone, which now includes 28 states and allows passport-free movement across much of western Europe, […]
FILM: AND TOMORROW YOU WILL BE DEAD – the ordeal of Swiss Taliban hostages
4 February 2022. By Neptune NOS OTAGES (UND MORGEN SEID IHR TOT) *** (vo Swiss German or French) This meticulous reconstruction of a controversial hostage event is a harrowing experience, as it was for the real Swiss husband and wife, Daniela Widmer and David Och, taken captive by the Taliban somewhere between Pakistan and Afghanistan […]
Covid: weekly cases and hospitalisations both down in Switzerland
This week, 208,542 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, down 8% from the 226,080 cases reported a week earlier. Also, the reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised dropped 3% from 533 to 518 across the week. In addition, the reported number Covid-19 patients in intensive care (ICU) in Switzerland fell 8% from 210 to 194 over […]
99% of Swiss emergency sirens pass the test
Every year, Switzerland tests its apocalyptic-sounding sirens on the first Wednesday of February. This year it was done on 2 February 2022 at 13:30. The tests finished at 14:00 for general sirens, and 15:00 for flood sirens. If an alarm sounds outside of these times it is not a test. This year’s test revealed that […]
Covid: Swiss government lifts requirements to quarantine and work from home
On 2 February 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced it was lifting the requirements to work from home and to quarantine after contact with an infected person from Thursday, 3 February 2022. In addition, the government is looking at the possibility of lifting a wide range of other measures. Further decisions are to be made on […]
Swiss government aims to cut welfare benefits paid to some foreigners
In response to rising welfare costs, Switzerland’s Federal Council has put forward a proposal to cut the amounts paid to non-EU immigrants in Switzerland, reported RTS. Between 2010 and 2019, the cost of welfare in Switzerland rose by CHF 0.9 billion to CHF 2.8 billion (+47%), straining the finances of some cantons and municipalities. The […]
Swiss government forecasts 12 billion francs spending on roads
Switzerland’s federal government expects to spend CHF 8 billion repairing federal roads and another CHF 4 billion extending them between 2024 and 2027, it announced this week. Maintenance, noise proofing and other upgrades to the existing road network are expected to consume CHF 8.4 billion between 2024 and 2027, an average annual cost of CHF […]
