In response to complaints by Switzerland’s cinema association, Switzerland’s government created a new law requiring online streaming services to pay money into a Swiss cinema fund. A group of young politicians view the move as a tax that will ultimately be paid by consumers and is organising a referendum to have the law thrown out, […]
Switzerland faces nurse shortage as exhaustion drives some to quit
Currently, with nearly 6,000 nursing vacancies in Switzerland the sector raises the alarm, reports 20 Minutes. According to the latest figures, there are a record 5.761 unfilled nursing positions in Switzerland. At the same time in 2019 there were 4,716, 18% fewer. Vacancies now represent around 3% of the 185,600 nurses currently working in Switzerland. […]
Number testing for Covid down 30% in a week
Pharmacies in the Swiss canton of Vaud reported a 30% drop in the number of Covid tests after the government stopped covering the cost of them on 10 October 2021, reported RTS. Until 10 October 2021, most Covid tests in Switzerland were paid for by the government. Anyone could get a free lateral flow test, […]
No Covid certificates for Swiss ski lifts this winter, say lift operators
At a gathering this week near Verbier, Switzerland’s ski lift operators decided that everyone, regardless of their Covid-19 immune status, would be able to ride Swiss ski lifts this coming winter. Lift operators at the meeting decided that no Covid certificate would be required to access ski lifts, reported Le Matin. The decision follows two […]
Left out of Horizon, Switzerland starts funding its own participation
This week, Switzerland’s federal council released CHF 400 million to fund Swiss research projects once part of Horizon Europe, an EU research programme that is the world’s most heavily funded. Switzerland was cut out of the programme when it unilaterally ended talks with the EU aimed at agreeing a deal with the bloc. Since being […]
Swiss government considers new Covid certificates for recovered and tourists
This week the government announced possible changes to Swiss Covid certificates aimed particularly at those who have recovered from the disease. However, given the current situation, with schools reopening after the autumn break, winter approaching, the highly contagious Delta variant and a relatively low level of immunisation, the government said it had concluded that the […]
Switzerland remains top place for expats in 2021
Switzerland is the highest rated country in the latest HSBC expat ranking published this week, a position held for the last three years. 91% of the expats surveyed living in Switzerland said their living environment was better than it was before moving. The average on this measure across all expats questioned was 67%. After moving, […]
Thousands protest against Covid measures in Switzerland
Over the weekend, several thousand people took to Swiss streets to protest against Switzerland’s measures to reduce the impact of Covid-19, reported RTS. In Lausanne, between 800 and 1,000 people marched in protest against Covid certificates and restrictions on individual liberty. No violence or property damage was reported. In Lugano, calls from an association named […]
Swiss president warns nation to prepare for electricity shortages
According to Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s president, it is possible the country could suffer electricity shortages for weeks or even months by 2025. Switzerland faces two principal challenges when it come to electricity. The first is that it doesn’t produce enough and must import electricity to satisfy demand. During winter around 20% of Switzerland’s electricity is […]
Swiss research discovers super antibody against Covid-19
The CHUV, Lausanne’s university hospital, and EPFL, one of Switzerland’s two federal universities made an important discovery this week in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for Covid-19. Scientists at the two organisations have discovered a highly potent monoclonal antibody that targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and is effective at neutralising all variants of […]
