On 7 February 1971, Swiss women were granted the right to vote after a referendum on the subject. This weekend marks the 50-year anniversary. An early notable event in the fight for women’s suffrage in Switzerland was a demand to have the right included in a revision of Zurich’s cantonal constitution in 1863. However the […]
Covid: Swiss deaths down 30% this week
Switzerland’s Covid figures have improved significantly since the peak of the second wave in November and December, when deaths rose to around 100 a day. Over the seven days to 5 February 2021, Switzerland reported 10,553 new positive Covid-19 cases and 216 deaths. The number of daily cases reported in Switzerland over the same period averaged […]
Swiss democracy hit by pandemic, according to ranking
In 2020, globally, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index fell from 5.44 in 2019 to 5.37 (on a 0-10 scale), driven by falls across all regions for the first time since 2010, in the aftermath of the global economic and financial crisis. The deterioration in average scores was driven largely by measures taken by governments […]
Covid: responding to coronavirus conspiracy and denial
This week, the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force published a guide on responding to coronavirus conspiracy and denial. During the second wave, trust in the decisions of the Swiss authorities has dropped below where it was in spring, and the social consensus on how to respond to the pandemic eroded over the summer, said […]
Vaccine delays costing Switzerland up to 100 million francs a day
A recent study by Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force calculates that vaccination delays are reducing Switzerland’s national output (GDP) by between CHF 50 – 100 million per day, according to RTS. Marius Brülhart, an economics professor, told the broadcaster that vaccinating as fast as possible is important not only from a health stand point […]
New Swiss maps go live
After seven years of work, the 400+ staff at swisstopo have launched the next generation of Swiss maps. The work has resulted in a huge database of digital geo data that allows nearly every feature of the land and every street and building to be rendered in 3D based on digital vectors. The database contains […]
Dog food recall – don’t feed these products to your pets
On 2 February 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau issued a product recall for three Pedigree brand dog food products. The products contain excessive vitamin D and could be toxic if consumed over several weeks, said the press release. The three products concerned are: PEDIGREE Adult with chicken, 10kg, expiry date 15.02.2022PEDIGREE Adult with lamb, […]
6 billion franc Swiss National Bank payment after new agreement
Switzerland’s Federal Department of Finance (FDF) and the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, have signed a new agreement on how SNB profits can be distributed. The new agreement, which applies until 2025, allows for the SNB to make an annual payment of up to CHF 6 billion to the government, should central bank […]
Covid: no systematic checks at Swiss-French borders
According to a report on RTS radio on 1 February 2021, French border staff are not systematically checking people entering France by road or rail from Switzerland. On Friday, 29 January 2021, the French government announced it was closing its borders from Sunday to all those outside the EU or Switzerland. In addition, except for […]
Swiss retail sales up in 2020 despite pandemic
Despite on and off closures of Swiss retailers last year, total 2020 retail sales figures rose by 0.1% compared to 2019. Switzerland’s backdrop of negative inflation, meant real total year-on-year retail sales rose by 0.8%. However, headline sales numbers masks significant variations by retail sector. While e-commerce (+14.1%), sales of technology (+13.8%) and food, drink […]
