Last week, the parliament of the cantonal government of Basel-City voted in favour of banning the use of heating oil and making roof solar panels compulsory by 2035. The legal details have not yet been worked out, so it remains unclear what the new rules will look like at this stage. Currently, new buildings in […]
Covid: Swiss government now recommends boosters after 4 months as Omicron spreads
On 21 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Department of Public Health (FOPH) and Federal Vaccination Commission (EKIF) announced that they had adjusted their recommendation for administering booster shots of mRNA vaccines from a minimum of 6 months after the last shot to a minimum of 4 months. The recommendation applies to everyone aged 16 or over, […]
Covid: rising patient numbers add to pressure on Swiss hospitals this week
This week, 57,836 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, down 3% from the 59,503 reported the week before. However, despite the new case rate stabilising, hospitalisations and deaths are elevated and have the government concerned. On 17 December 2021, the Federal Council described the epidemiological situation as extremely worrying. The number of hospital admissions continues […]
Covid: Swiss government tightens restrictions from Monday
On 17 December 2021, Switzerland’s federal government announced new stricter Covid measures from Monday 20 December 2021. From Monday, only people who have been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid will be able to enter restaurants, cultural, sporting and leisure venues and attend indoor events. Restricting access to these two groups has been dubbed the […]
Upper house rejects automatic citizenship for those born in Switzerland
This week, a proposal put forward by Lisa Mazzone, a federal parliamentarian from Geneva, to grant automatic citizenship to those born in Switzerland was rejected by 29 to 13 votes in the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, reported 20 Minutes. Unrestricted jus soli, or birthright citizenship, is increasingly rare beyond the nations of North […]
Daytime lights to become compulsory for e-bikes in Switzerland
From 1 April 2022, e-bikes ridden on Swiss roads will need to have lights, according to a report by RTS. In addition, e-bikes capable of reaching power-assisted speeds of up to 45 km/h must be equipped with speedometers from 1 April 2024. This rule is aimed at ensuring riders respect speed limits in 20 km/h […]
Swiss parliamentarians must make foreign nationalities public
Dual nationality is a hot political topic for a few outspoken politicians in Switzerland who are concerned that dual nationals holding elected positions in Switzerland have a conflict of interest. One suggestion for removing any potential split loyalty was to ban anyone with dual nationality from elected office, effectively forcing any dual nationals set on […]
Three Swiss villages awarded “Best Tourism Village” status
Last week, at a gathering in Madrid, Switzerland put forward a selection of three Swiss villages in the hope that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) would include them on its list of “Best Tourism Villages”. To qualify for selection, Swiss villages had to promote local activities, such as farming and wine making and […]
Covid: Swiss government recommends vaccination of 5-11 year olds
This week, Switzerland’s federal government recommended two-dose Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11, reported RTS, in particular those suffering from chronic illness. On 10 December 2021, Swissmedic, Switzerland’s drug approval agency, announced its approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for use on children of this age. Once the vaccines are available for this age […]
Top 10 concerns among Swiss in 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences have topped the list of worries in Switzerland again in 2021, followed closely by environmental protection and climate change, as well as concerns about the state pensions. Every year, the bank Credit Suisse publishes the results of a survey of the top concerns of Swiss voters. Like last year, […]
