This week, 52,470 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 23% from the 42,518 reported the week before. On a 7-day moving average basis the number of daily new cases was 7,496. Daily case numbers are now broadly back to last winter’s peak. So far, similarly high case numbers have not translated into the same level of […]
Covid: Swiss government tightens restrictions from Monday
On 3 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced tighter restrictions from Monday. From 6 December 2021, Covid certificates will be required for more activities and mask wearing will be extended, said the government. In addition, the validity of rapid antigen tests will be reduced and people will be urged to work from home. Infection rates […]
Swiss-EU relations – no second billion for the EU
Since Switzerland broke off talks with the EU on closer integration in May 2021, some within government have been looking for ways to send a positive signal to the bloc. On 30 September 2021, the Swiss government agreed to pay around CHF 1 billion to Brussels with no strings attached. 131 versus 55 members of […]
Voters in Zurich support ban on oil and gas heating
Last weekend, 63% of voters in the canton of Zurich confirmed a government decision to phase out heating oil and gas heating in the canton. Laws passed by the cantonal government in 2014 to ban the installation of heating oil and gas heating in new and old buildings proved unpopular with some. Aiming to overturn […]
A Covid patient can cost more than 100,000 francs in Switzerland
From 8 December 2021, anyone in Singapore treated for Covid-19 who has not been vaccinated will need to cover the cost of their own treatment. In Switzerland, similar ideas were raised by Swiss parliamentarian Kurt Fluri in July 2021 and by Mauro Poggia, Geneva’s health minister in August 2021. Covid patients not only reduce the […]
Two Swiss cities remain in top 10 most expensive globally
The latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey of the prices of 200 goods and services in 173 cities placed both Geneva and Zurich in the top 10 most expensive cities in 2021. Overall, the cost of living across these 173 cities has risen by an average of 3.5%, the highest inflation seen in the last […]
Covid: getting a booster shot in Switzerland
On 26 November 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recommended everyone 16 and over get booster shots. However, Switzerland’s cantons are not yet ready to provide boosters to all those aged 16 to 64 and start dates differ. In Switzerland, boosters are being given at least six months after second shots. However, in […]
Covid: 2,000 in quarantine after 2 cases of Omicron detected at Swiss school
Around 2,000 people have been placed in quarantine after two cases of Omicron, the latest variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, were detected in a school in Switzerland, reported the canton of Geneva. On 2 December 2021, two cases of Omicron were detected on the campus of the International School of Geneva based in the commune […]
Majority of Swiss in favour of compulsory vaccination, according to poll
According to poll results published over the weekend, 53% of those surveyed in Switzerland were in favour of making Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory, a percentage that rose to 69% for those working in the health sector, reported 20 Minutes. Overall, the percentage supporting compulsory vaccination was higher in German-speaking Switzerland (53.4%) than among French speakers (50.2%). […]
Swiss vote results on Covid laws, Nurses and Judges
On 28 November 2021, Swiss voters voted on three federal initiatives on Covid laws, nurses working conditions and the way judges are selected. The controversial vote on Covid laws was aimed at revoking Covid laws introduced in March 2021, which include provisions allowing Switzerland’s Covid certificates to be implemented. As forecast in recent polls, the latest […]
