From the beginning of February 2020, employees working for the canton of Ticino will need to clock out if they want to go for a cigarette break, according to RTS. The new rule, which is the first of its kind in Switzerland, follows comments made last year by a parliamentarian who pointed out the favourable […]
Swiss authorities set up Coronavirus helpline
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) has set up two helpline numbers to provide information to the public. They have also set up a page on their website with regular updates. So far no one in Switzerland has been diagnosed with the Coronavirus (nCoV) based on the samples analysed, but experts believe the risk […]
A quick guide on the Coronavirus
Since the initial outbreak of the virus in the city of Wuhan in December 2019, the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread rapidly. The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is from the coronavirus family that contains SARS, MERS and some common colds. As of 29 January, 5,974 cases of infected individuals had been recorded in China, with 132 […]
5G protests continue in Switzerland, following inconclusive report
On 25 January 2020, further protests against the roll of 5G mobile technology took place in 16 towns across Switzerland, according to protest organisers. The protests follow the publishing of an inconclusive Swiss report by experts on the health risks of the radiation emitted by the technology published on 28 November 2019. Some hoped the […]
Swiss cancels all flights to China
Today, Swiss announced it was temporarily suspending all flights to and from mainland China. Flights to Bejing Capital Airport (PEK) and Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) are affected, it said. The announcement is a response to the global spread of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a contagious virus that can lead to life threatening pneumonia. The virus […]
Watch out for norovirus-containing shellfish
Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has published a warning not to eat certain norovirus infected shellfish sold in Switzerland. The products listed below have now been removed from shop shelves according to the FSVO, however some people will have bought them before they were withdrawn. The norovirus causes diarrhoea and vomiting. The […]
Swisscom achieves 90 percent 5G coverage, despite public resistance
Swisscom, Switzerland’s largest mobile operator, announced that it has achieved its plan to reach 90% of Switzerland’s population with 5G signals by the end of 2019. The installed infrastructure will allow it to deliver a basic service, which will be slower than the final version but still 1,000 times more effective than 4G. The first […]
Swiss visit doctor less often than most of Europe
In 2017, an average Swiss resident visited a medical professional 4.32 times, according to data recently published by Eurostat. Only residents of Denmark (4.30), Sweden (2.77) and Cyprus (2.09) went to see a doctor less often. The average number of visits across those European countries with 2017 data was 6.84. Countries with the highest frequency […]
Swiss government rejects anti-tobacco advertising initiative
Tobacco is big business. The industry is expected to generate almost US$ 700 billion globally by 2021. This scale makes the industry a formidable foe for those hoping to spare people the damaging health effects of tobacco addiction. In 2018, a group in Switzerland launched an initiative to ban tobacco advertising targeted at young people. […]
Switzerland bans toxic pesticides used since 1960s
Today, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced it is withdrawing, with immediate effect, the authorisation to sell products containing the chemical chlorothalonil, an ingredient used since the 1960s to protect crops from disease. The decision follows a reexamination of the toxic effects of the chemical over the summer. FOAG said that after examining data […]
