Tourism is one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus and the response to it. Figures from a study by HES-SO Valais published by the newspaper Blick suggest the industry will see revenues in Switzerland drop 18%, or CHF 6.4 billion, in 2020. The hotel sector alone, which generates around CHF 10 billion annually, […]
Swiss clocks move forward one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 29 March 2020 – at 2am to be precise – Swiss clocks will move forward one hour. This means you will miss one hour of sleep and it will be darker when you get up. On the plus side, it will be light for longer in the evenings. Daylight saving likely to […]
Coop and Migros: customers required to queue
Coop and Migros, Switzerland’s two largest supermarkets have decided to limit the number of people entering their stores, creating queues outside, according to RTS. To reduce the spread of Covid-19, shopper density has been reduced to one person per 10 m2, which drastically reduces the number of people allowed inside simultaneously. In addition, shopping in […]
Becoming Swiss: municipalities with high and low naturalisation rates
When it comes to gaining Swiss citizenship, where you live matters. Some municipalities have high rates of naturalisation while some have not granted citizenship to a single person since 1992. A recently published study by researchers at Geneva University (UNIGE) looks at naturalisation rates by municipality between 1992 and 2017. The municipalities of Rueyres (VD), […]
Swiss coronavirus tests now partly covered by health insurance
Yesterday, the Swiss government announced that diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus (novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2) will be covered by compulsory Swiss health insurance up to a maximum of CHF 180 from 4 March 2020. Until this announcement it was unclear who would pay for the tests. Now the cost will be borne by health insurance […]
Swiss government files criminal complaint after crypto spying allegations
Last week, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), filed a criminal complaint over the alleged use of Crypto AG, a Swiss company, to engage in spying activities, according to the newspaper SonntagsZeitung. The complaint, which implicates America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and West German intelligence (BND), was filed with Switzerland’s federal public prosecutor last […]
Swiss health authority adds avoiding handshakes to coronavirus advice
In response to the increased spread of the novel Coronavirus Switzerland’s health authority has issued new hygiene advice, which includes avoiding hand shakes. This additional measure was added recently along with two others: dispose of used paper tissues in a sealed waste bin and always call ahead before going to the doctor’s or the emergency […]
Some in Basel defy Swiss government ban on gatherings
Hundreds of people defied a federal government ban on gatherings in Basel, according to RTS. The Basel Fasnacht, a highlight of the city’s calendar, was cancelled after Switzerland’s federal government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people in an attempt to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, the cancellation did not stop everyone. […]
Coronavirus: map of Swiss cases by canton – updated
Swiss broadcaster RTS has created a list of charts showing the rates of infection over the last 14 days by canton. In addition to the numbers presented above, here are a few other data sources. The first two have charts showing numbers by canton. Tribune de Genève – this gives a breakdown of Swiss data […]
Swiss National Bank to distribute 4 billion francs of profit
In 2019, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) made a profit of around CHF 49 billion. These profits came mainly from the rising value of the assets on the bank’s balance sheet. In 2019, the value of its holdings of foreign currency and gold rose substantially. When combined with interest, dividend income and gains on shares […]
