On 26 March 2020, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) announced it would lend unlimited money to banks to shore up the economy. Its COVID-19 refinancing facility (CRF), is aimed at strengthening the supply of credit to the Swiss economy by providing the banking system with additional liquidity. The SNB said there would be no upper […]
Coronavirus: Swiss government presents shutdown exit plan
On 16 April 2020, the Swiss government presented its plan for emerging from Switzerland’s coronavirus shutdown. Over the last few days the number of recorded new daily infections has been far below the worst days experienced since the outbreak began. In March 2020, daily new cases regularly exceed 1,000, occasionally exceeding 1,300. Over the last […]
Free online courses – stay home and learn
Here is a list of free online courses for anyone at a home-confinement loose end. 1) Free Online Courses from Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2) Microsoft Free Online Courses 2020 3) World Health Organisation Free Online Courses with Free Certificates 4) Harvard University Free Online Courses 2020 5) Free Online Course on how to be […]
Easter: most Christians in Switzerland don’t believe in resurrection
It makes sense that atheists and those who follow other religions wouldn’t believe that Jesus physically died and came back to life. However, according to a survey most Christians in Switzerland don’t either. The survey, conducted by Link, shows that only 26% of Switzerland’s population believes in the physical resurrection of Christ, down from the […]
Coronavirus: Switzerland extends lockdown until 26 April
On 8 April 2020, Switzerland’s government decided to extend the country’s lockdown measures for a further week. In a press release the Federal Council said the measures would be extended for another week and then possibly progressively loosened before the end of April. The measures have proved to be effective with the spread of the […]
Coronavirus: Swiss tourism expected to lose 6.4 billion francs
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 […]
