On 11 June 2020, Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of gay marriage and allowing lesbian couples to have access to sperm donations. 132 parliamentarians voted in favour of the proposal with 52 voting against it. All of Switzerland’s main political parties voted in favour of allowing lesbians access to sperm with the exception of the […]
Coronavirus: new cases stable with small rise in deaths in Switzerland
In the seven days to 12 June 2020, the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections recorded in Switzerland was 127. A similar number of new cases was recorded in the week before (108) and the week before that (121), according to Worldinfometer.com. However, the number of deaths was up slightly when comparing the recent week (17) […]
Coronavirus: Switzerland confirms lifting of COVID restrictions regarding all EU/EFTA states and UK
On 12 June 2020, Switzerland’s Federal Council approved an earlier plan by the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) to remove Schengen States from the list of high-risk countries, and reintroduce rights of free movement into Switzerland from 15 June 2020. All restrictions imposed on persons entering Switzerland from the Schengen Area will be […]
Black lives matter protests in Switzerland
Following protests and riots in the US in response to the death of George Floyd, an estimated 2,000 people took to the streets of Lausanne over the weekend to protest, according to 20 Minutes. George Floyd died after a police officer in the US city of Minneapolis dug his knee into Floyd’s neck and kept […]
Swiss economy shrinks in first quarter of 2020
Switzerland’s GDP fell by –2.6 % in the 1st quarter of 2020, after rising by +0.3% in the previous quarter, according to a government press release. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the measures to contain it, economic activity in March was severely restricted, said the statement. A global slowdown also affected exports. The service […]
Switzerland holds off on open borders with Italy
Switzerland’s Federal Council announced on June 2 that it plans to maintain border restrictions with Italy until further notice as a reciprocal border arrangement with Italy would be premature. From 3 June 2020, Swiss residents will be able to travel to and return from Italy, but Italians or Italian residents will not be able to […]
Swiss have mixed feelings about working from home, according to survey
Working from home is a mixed bag of pros and cons for most Swiss who were surveyed by gfs.bern in March and April 2020. But it worked for most. In 2019, before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, around 1.1 million employees in Switzerland occasionally worked from home. During the pandemic the number of hours […]
Swiss employer must pay employee’s rent, rules court
Switzerland’s highest court recently decided that an employee asked to work at home can claim a part of their rent from their employer, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. An employee of a financial firm in Zurich, who got into a disagreement with their employer over the reimbursement of some of their rent, took their […]
40% of Swiss restaurants unsure of survival under current restrictions
40% of restaurants that have reopened in Switzerland fear they won’t survive, according to a recent industry survey by Gastro Suisse. When Switzerland’s federal government allowed restaurants to reopen on 11 May 2020 around three quarters did. Many of those that didn’t, decided they wouldn’t be able to turn a profit operating with the required […]
Children soon allowed to cycle with pedestrians in Switzerland
Switzerland’s government recently announced that children up to 12 will be allowed to cycle on footpaths from 1 January 2021. The new rules will allow all young children to ride on footpaths when there is no cycle lane. Currently, only first grade primary school children can cycle on sidewalks in Switzerland. The government said that […]
