The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ranked Switzerland number one in the world for innovation for the tenth consecutive year, according to its latest Global Innovation Index (GII) published this week. Switzerland, Sweden, U.S., U.K and Netherlands lead the innovation ranking, which ranks more than 130 nations. The biggest change in Switzerland’s score this […]
Coronavirus: weekly cases rise further in Switzerland passing 400 in a single day
In the week to 4 September 2020, the reported number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 2,186, 9% higher than the 2,014 cases recorded the week before. The total number of recorded cases and deaths stood at 43,532 and 2,013 by 4 September 2020. 405 daily new cases were reported on 4 September 2020. The last time […]
Coronavirus: could masks explain Switzerland’s sharply declining death rate?
In Switzerland, over the three months following 31 May 2020, there have been 11,306 recorded cases of Covid-19 and 91 deaths, a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.8%. However, before this date there were 30,862 cases and 1,920 deaths, a CFR of 6.2%. Why has Switzerland’s CFR fallen so steeply? A number of factors could […]
Coronavirus: country of departure now counts, not stopover country
The Swiss government has closed a Covid-19 travel loophole. From 31 August 2020, it will no longer be possible to skirt Switzerland’s entry restrictions by arriving in Switzerland from a high-risk country by transiting through a country that is not on the list. Until this date, it has been possible to circumvent Switzerland’s entry restrictions […]
Coronavirus: protestors march against Covid-19 measures in Zurich
On Saturday, around one thousand people took to the streets of Zurich to protest against government rules aimed at slowing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to RTS. Under the slogan “Zurück in die Freiheit” (Back to Freedom) protest organisers drew an eclectic group of people together at Zurich’s Helvetiaplatz to protest against compulsory […]
Pandemic causes historic slump in Swiss GDP in second quarter
In the second quarter (Q2) of 2020, Switzerland’s GDP fell by –8.2 % after decreasing by –2.5 % in the previous quarter. GDP for Q2 2020 was 10.5% lower than Q4 2019. Domestic economic activity was severely restricted in the wake of the pandemic and the measures taken to contain it, said the government. However, […]
Switzerland’s Christian Catholic church votes in favour of same sex marriage
Over the weekend, the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland voted in favour of same sex marriage at a national synod in Zurich, according to RTS. The Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland is part of an offshoot of Catholicism that rejects papal infallibility. The church has around 12,000 adherents mainly in Basel, Aargau, Solothun, Zurich, Bern, […]
Journalists in Switzerland have not had a pay rise for 14 years
A recent survey by a Swiss union USS shows that average pay for journalists in Switzerland has barely risen for 14 years. In 2006, on average (median) a journalist earned CHF 7,200 a month. By 2020, this figure had risen to CHF 7,333, an average annual increase of 0.13%, which amounts to less than CHF […]
Coronavirus: new cases rise again in Switzerland this week
In the week to 28 August 2020, the reported number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 2,014, 21% higher than the 1,661 cases recorded the week before. The total number of recorded cases and deaths stood at 41,036 and 2,004 by 28 August 2020. The 7-day rolling average number of daily new cases was 288, up from […]
Coronavirus: UK puts Switzerland back on quarantine list
Travellers from Switzerland, Jamaica and Czech Republic who enter the UK from 4 am on Saturday 29 August 2020, must self-isolate for two weeks, the UK government announced this evening. The UK considers imposing quarantine when a country’s rate of infection exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 people over 7 days. Switzerland is currently above this […]
