In Switzerland, the finances of hospitals are similar to those of a business. If revenues fall, as they did during the coronavirus pandemic, profits can turn into losses. During the recent phase of the pandemic, non-urgent operations were postponed to free up hospital capacity to care for serious Covid-19 cases. Postponing these operations has left […]
Close to 1,000 people gather for a football match in Lausanne, despite crowd ban
Close to 1,000 young people assembled to watch a football match on Thursday evening in Boveresses, a northern suburb of Lausanne, in defiance of Switzerland’s ban on gatherings of more than five people, according to RTS. The group, aged mainly between 16 and 20, were there to watch a match between teams from the cities […]
Swiss central bank could take negative rates lower
The rate on deposits at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is currently -0.75%. And while taking the rate further into negative territory is not the base case scenario, it cannot be excluded, according to some economists at the bank UBS. The probability that the SNB lowers rates further is not a base scenario, according to […]
EasyJet customer data hacked
Yesterday, EasyJet announced that a “highly sophisticated” cyber-attack had affected around 9 million customers. The company said its “investigation found that the email address and travel details of approximately 9 million customers were accessed. These affected customers will be contacted in the next few days. If you are not contacted then your information has not been […]
Coronavirus: unmarried couples can cross between Austria, Germany and Switzerland
On 15 May 2020, the Swiss government announced that the borders between Switzerland, Germany and Austria are to open again for unmarried couples in long-term cross-border relationships from midnight. These borders are also open for those wishing to visit relatives or attend important family events. Restrictions will also be lifted for people who own a […]
Coronavirus: new studies suggest fatality rates far lower than early estimates
At the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, fatality rates were based on those testing positive for the virus using mucus-based swab testing. Now, we have the results of an increasing number of community-wide antibody blood tests, and they paint a different picture. The main SARS-CoV-2 test involves taking a mucus sample and analysing it to […]
Coronavirus: Switzerland sets date for fully reopened borders with Germany, Austria and France
On 13 May 2020, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s ministerial head of police and justice, said Switzerland is aiming to fully reopen borders between Germany, Austria and France on 15 June 2020. After discussions with her counterparts in these three countries she said there was a common will to return to normal as quickly as possible including […]
Steep drop in asylum requests in Switzerland
Recent figures show a steep decline in the number of people applying for asylum in Switzerland during the coronavirus crisis. During April 2020, 332 asylum requests were made in Switzerland, 65.5% fewer than in March 2020 and 70.3% fewer than during April 2019, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The main originating countries […]
Vaud confirms plan for college reopening
The government of Vaud recently announced its plan for reopening college, known locally as gymnase. Compulsory school restarted across Switzerland on 11 May 2020. However, gymnase pupils, who are typically 15 or older, will have to wait until 8 June 2020 to return. Gymnase classes, which will start on 8 June and run until 3 […]
Switzerland reopens 15 more international border points
During the coronavirus lockdown, Switzerland closed many of its international border crossings. As schools and more businesses open, the government is reopening more border points. However, cross-border movement remains restricted. From Monday 11 May 2020, the following additional border entry points into and out of Switzerland reopened: Geneva: Certoux, Chancy I, Croix-de-Rozon, Landecy Graubunden: SpiessJura: […]
