In Geneva, the number hospitalised with Covid-19 has reached 134, the highest it has been since the first wave in spring. On Friday 16 October 2020, there were 94 patients. This represents a jump of 43% in 3 days. Across Switzerland, the picture is similar. On Friday there were 582 Covid-19 patients hospitalised. By Monday, […]
Coronavirus: new rules from Monday as cases rise fast in Switzerland
On 18 October 2020, after an extraordinary meeting, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced masks would become mandatory across all of Switzerland. In addition, certain gatherings of more than 15 people are to be banned and employers are required to follow recommendations for staff to work from home. Since 19 June 2020, the governments of Switzerland’s cantons […]
38% of Swiss population has a migrant background
At the end of 2019, nearly 38% of permanent residents in Switzerland over the age of 15 had a migrant background, according to recently published data. Those with a migrant background fell into one of two categories: first or second generation migrants. First generation migrants, which made up 31% of the population, were either foreign […]
Swiss economy to slide less than feared, according to new forecast
An updated forecast published this week by the Switzerland’s federal government is less negative than forecasters feared in the middle of the year. The new forecast expects Swiss GDP adjusted for sporting events to fall by 3.8% in 2020 and unemployment to average 3.2% across the year. The forecast in June 2020, predicted a 6.2% […]
Coronavirus: 14,000 new cases reported this week in Switzerland
On 16 October 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 3,105 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection over 24 hours, bringing the reported weekly total to 14,054, a figure 135% higher than the week before. Swiss hospitals are admitting more Covid-19 patients. An additional 68 were admitted over the last 24 hours, according to FOPH. […]
FILM: I AM GRETA
17 October 2020. With these awfully grey, cold days weighing upon us, and new restrictions due to a spike in Corona cases, I am not in the mood to write…especially about films that are just ok… So forgive the brevity this week. I AM GRETA **1/2 I believe everyone’s heard about Greta Thunberg by now. […]
Coronavirus: tough restrictions needed to avoid deaths, says WHO director
Tough restrictions are absolutely necessary to save lives, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned, as a second Covid-19 wave emerges in Europe. “The evolving epidemiological situation in Europe raises great concern: daily numbers of cases are up, hospital admissions are up”, Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, told a news conference on Thursday. […]
Coronavirus: masks sold in Switzerland fail basic tests
Only 4 out of the 16 masks sold in Switzerland that were tested passed all three tests conducted by a textile testing company, according to RTS. The testing, which included tests for air permeability, splash resistance and filtration, was conducted in laboratories run by Testex in Zurich and Vienna at the behest of RTS. Testing […]
Coronavirus: contact tracers now unable to cope in parts of Switzerland
In parts of Switzerland contact tracers can no longer cope with the rising numbers of cases, according the newspaper SonntagsZeitung. Contact tracers have the task of identifying who has been in contact with people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, contacting those people and requesting they test and self isolate in order to break chains of infection. […]
Initiative against Swiss Covid app fails
In July 2020, a group started gathering signatures to launch a public vote to ban Switzerland’s Covid-19 contact tracing app. To launch a referendum in Switzerland organisers must collect 50,000 signatures from eligible voters within 100 days. Organisers of the “Stop Swiss Covid” initiative had until 8 October 2020 to collect 50,000 signatures. According to […]
