Last Friday, the authorities in Geneva announced nightclubs must close immediately as part of a plan to stem the recent rise in the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections. On 22 June 2020, after a period of consistently low new infections, Switzerland’s federal government decided to ease restrictions across the country. However, the cantonal authorities in […]
Beaches closed in Neuchâtel after dogs die from poisoning
At least six dogs have died after being poisoning on the edge of Lake Neuchâtel in Switzerland, according to RTS. The local police force closed beaches between the town of Colombier (NE) and the mouth of the Areuse river after several dogs died. Swimming is now banned in the area. The exact area covered by […]
Swiss incomes could end up more than 1,700 francs lower due to Covid-19
Covid-19 is forecast to hit personal incomes by a total of around CHF 15 billion both this year and in 2021, according to the Basel-based research institute BAK Economics, reported Le Matin. Spread across Switzerland’s 8.6 million residents this comes out at around CHF 1,740 per person and CHF 2,830 per worker. BAK Economics expects […]
New immigrants trust Swiss institutions more than natives
A higher percentage of first generation immigrants in Switzerland say they trust Switzerland’s institutions than native Swiss, according to a recently published report from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office looking at integration. Of the first generation immigrants questioned, 55% said they trusted political institutions, 63% said they trusted the judiciary and 72% said they trusted the […]
Masks now compulsory at Geneva Airport
This week, Geneva Airport made it compulsory for anyone entering its buildings to wear a face mask. The new rule applies to everyone entering the building, not only staff and passengers. In addition, hands must be disinfected upon entry. Those arriving without a mask can buy one from mask distributors at the airport. The new […]
Temperature could hit 38 degrees in Geneva
The heat wave sweeping across parts of Switzerland is expected to last through Saturday, according to Météo Swiss. Certain regions including Geneva, Nyon, much of the canton of Valais and nearly all of the canton of Ticino could experience temperatures as high as 38 degrees, according to Switzerland’s weather service. The meteorological service issued a […]
Referendum launched against SwissCovid app
A group in Switzerland has decided to launch a vote against Switzerland’s contact tracing app, an application designed to make it easier to know whether someone has been in contact with someone infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. On 25 June 2020, Switzerland’s contact tracing app, known as SwissCovid, became available for download. Created by a […]
More chlorothalonil found in Evian water than in Lake Zurich
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) accidentally found traces of chlorothalonil in Evian bottled water, according to the newspaper SonntagsZeitung. Chlorothalonil is a substance found in agrochemicals used by farmers to control mold, mildew, bacteria and algae. The substance was banned from use in Switzerland at the beginning of […]
Swiss court set to drop case on Iranian assassination in Vaud
On 24 April 1990, Kazem Rajavi, Iran’s former ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, was gunned down on his way home to Coppet, a town in canton Vaud near Geneva. A number of years before, after becoming critical of the Khomeini regime, Rajavi resigned from his diplomatic post and become the representative of the opposition National Council of Resistance […]
Swiss unemployment falls in June 2020
The number unemployed in Switzerland at 30 June 2020, fell 5,709 in June to 159,289, according to the State Secretariat for the Economy (SECO). Switzerland’s unemployment rate fell from 3.4% to 3.2%. However, despite improving on May 2020, the number unemployed was 53,067 (+54.6%) higher than at the end of June 2019. Switzerland’s official unemployment […]
