The two products sold in Coop in the photograph below have been recalled. The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) warns that they contain high levels of ethylene oxide and should not be consumed. FSVO recommends these products not be consumed and said that health risks from eating them cannot be excluded – warning […]
Switzerland and the UK sign agreement on mobility of service providers
On 14 December 2020, Switzerland and the UK signed an agreement that secures reciprocal, facilitated market access for service providers between Switzerland and the United Kingdom from 1 January 2021. The Services Mobility Agreement (SMA) regulates the mutual access and temporary stay of service providers, for example, management consultants, IT experts and engineers. The agreement […]
Covid: Swiss government closes restaurants, bars and cultural venues
Faced with overworked hospital staff and rising cases, on 18 December 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to close restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports and leisure facilities from 22 December 2020. The epidemiological situation is a cause of great concern, said the Federal Council. The number of infections is very high and continues to rise. […]
Covid: deaths and cases rise in Switzerland ahead of holiday period
This week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported1 607 Covid-19 deaths, 11% more than last week (548). Switzerland’s Covid-19 death toll has reached 6,541 (6,003 confirmed positive). Tragically, a significant number of people in Switzerland will be grieving lost family members this Christmas. Switzerland’s hospitalised Covid-19 patient numbers, while below November’s peak, remain high. There […]
The US accuses Switzerland of currency manipulation
This week, the US Treasury reviewed and assessed the currency policies of 20 major U.S. trading partners during the four quarters ending June 2020. The report concluded that both Vietnam and Switzerland met all three criteria for currency manipulation under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015. The three tests include a significant […]
Changes to Swiss road rules on 1 January 2021
From 1 January 2021, a number of road rules will change. These will affect driving, cycling and parking. For drivers there are new motorway rules for emergency corridors, merging, passing on the right and caravans. For cyclists there are new rules on turning and using footpaths. These rules come into force on 1 January 2021, […]
Religion continues to decline in Switzerland
Statistics for 2019 show that 30% of Switzerland’s residents belong to no religion. As recently as 1960 the same figure was less than 1%. The percentage believing in God in Switzerland continues to decline. Between 2014 and 2019, this percentage fell from 46% to 40% of the population. Indoctrination of religious beliefs also appears to […]
Covid: 22% of Geneva tests positive for antibodies
An update to an antibody study conducted by HUG and UNIGE suggests that 22% of Geneva’s population had been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus by December 2020. The study which began earlier in the year, and involved 2,072 people, suggests the number of people infected has doubled since June 2020 when 11% of the study […]
Large government budget deficit in 2021 for Switzerland
On 16 December 2020, Switzerland’s Council of States, the nation’s upper house, accepted a 2021 budget deeply in the red following its acceptance last week by the National Council. In 2021, Switzerland’s federal government plans to collect CHF 75.8 billion while spending CHF 81.9 billion, plunging the budget CHF 6.1 billion into the red. The […]
Covid: Swiss becoming more skeptical of vaccines
Mistrust of vaccines against Covid-19 continues to rise in Switzerland, according to a recently published survey. A survey run in Switzerland at the end of October 2020, found that only 49% were prepared to take a Covid-19 vaccine, a percentage significantly lower than the 62% recorded in a similar survey in April 2020. Of the […]
