The number of Covid cases went down significantly in Switzerland during spring as a result of schools closing, according to a study by ETH Zurich, reported RTS. Researchers at the university analysed anonymised mobile phone data of 1.5 billion movements of the Swiss population between 10 February and 26 April 2020. They used this data […]
Swiss unemployment up steeply in 2020
Today, figures on Swiss unemployment at the end of 2020 were published. At the end of December 2020, there were 163,545 people registered as unemployed in Switzerland, a figure 39.5% higher than at the end of 2019. At 31 December 2020, the number of job seekers was 260,318, a number 34.9% above the same figure […]
Swiss passport one of the most powerful in 2021
The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Without taking temporary restrictions into account, Japan continues to hold the number one position on the index, with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free. This marks the […]
Swiss rents and property prices up in 2020 due to pandemic
The pandemic had a significant impact on Swiss real estate prices in 2020, according to industry experts. Contrary to initial fears that property prices would fall, prices have risen over the period. Over the year, the offer prices of stand alone houses rose by 5.6% while apartment prices jumped by 5.5% across Switzerland as a […]
Covid: willingness to vaccinate rises to 50% in Switzerland
A recently published survey shows a marked rise in the number willing to get vaccinated in Switzerland, according to Blick. The survey by the University of Zurich on vaccination attitudes, suggests the percentage likely or very likely to get vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Switzerland has risen from 41% to 50%. The latest round […]
Covid: federal restrictions set to run until end of February in all cantons
With an infection rate that refuses to budge, Switzerland’s federal government decided today it would like to extend the current restrictions until the end of February 2021. It also announced it would remove cantonal exceptions and apply federal restrictions universally across the whole country from 9 January 2021. The Federal Council plans to discuss extending […]
Company bankruptcies fell sharply in Switzerland in 2020
Despite the economic impacts of the coronavirus, significantly fewer Swiss companies went bankrupt in 2020 than the year before, according to the business data company Bisnode. During 2020, 3,811 Swiss companies filed for bankruptcy, 19% fewer than in 2019. Sectors that experienced the greatest fall in bankruptcies include artisans (-174 bankruptcies), hotels and restaurants (-124), […]
Covid: fast-spreading UK variant detected in seven Swiss cantons
The fast spreading variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in the UK has now been detected in seven Swiss cantons, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), reported RTS. So far 28 people in Switzerland have tested positive for the new UK variant, said Virginie Masserey of the FOPH. The variant has been […]
Covid: restrictions tightened in western Switzerland
Governments in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud and Valais recently tightened Covid rules as required by the federal government. On 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council tightened restrictions to fight against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Under the federal rules Switzerland’s cantons were allowed to keep certain things open provided the reproduction rate remained […]
Errors made managing pandemic, admits new Swiss president
According to RTS, Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s president since 1 January 2021, told the newspaper SonntagsBlick, that between July and September the government underestimated the pandemic. “We thought we could contain the virus but in reality we were far from doing so”, he said. Not only politicians but also many specialists were surprised by the sudden […]
