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Tag Archive: Editor’s Choice

Covid: weekly cases and hospitalisations fall further as Switzerland drops nearly all measures

2022-02-19

2022-02-19

This week, 118,555 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, down 25% from the 157,683 cases reported a week earlier. The reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised also fell 20% from 492 to 392 across the week. Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.comCovid-19 deaths were also down. Across the week, 61 Covid-19 related deaths were reported, a figure 13% lower than the 70 reported the week before. In addition, the number of...

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Overwhelming majority of ICU patients in Switzerland unvaccinated, show data

2022-01-27

2022-01-27

On 25 January 2022, a study published by Zurich University Hospital found that 97% of Covid-19 ICU patients since the start of Switzerland’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign were unvaccinated.

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Higher tax deductions for parents in Switzerland starting in 2023

2022-01-26

2022-01-26

This week, Switzerland’s government set a date for the introduction of more generous tax deductions for childcare. From 1 January 2023, parents will be able to deduct up to CHF 25,000 per child in childcare costs from their annual taxable income, reported RTS. Currently, the maximum is CHF 10,100 per child.

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Vote against Swiss “Netflix tax” passes signature hurdle

2022-01-25

2022-01-25

In October 2021, Switzerland’s government created a law requiring online streaming services to pay money into a Swiss cinema fund. Under the law, from 2024, streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ will need to pay a levy equivalent to 4% of their Swiss turnover into the fund, which would be spent on producing Swiss films.

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No weakening expected in Swiss house prices

2022-01-10

2022-01-10

The Swiss housing market continues to rise with no signs of weakening, reported RTS this week. According to the real estate platform immoscout24, the average price per m2 for a family home in Switzerland has risen from CHF 6,700 to CHF 7,200 over the last 12 months, a rise of 7%. Apartment prices have risen even further in some places.

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Switzerland set to tax e-cigarettes

2021-12-25

2021-12-25

On 17 December 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council put forward a plan to tax the liquids used for e-cigarettes, reported RTS. The Federal Council is proposing a tax similar to the tax on tobacco but at a lower rate in line with e-cigarettes’ lower toxicity. The government does not want to discourage tobacco smokers from transitioning to e-cigarettes and proposes a rate 77% lower than the tax on tobacco cigarettes.

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Two Swiss cities remain in top 10 most expensive globally

2021-12-04

2021-12-04

The latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey of the prices of 200 goods and services in 173 cities placed both Geneva and Zurich in the top 10 most expensive cities in 2021. Overall, the cost of living across these 173 cities has risen by an average of 3.5%, the highest inflation seen in the last 5 years.

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Majority of Swiss in favour of compulsory vaccination, according to poll

2021-12-01

2021-12-01

According to poll results published over the weekend, 53% of those surveyed in Switzerland were in favour of making Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory, a percentage that rose to 69% for those working in the health sector, reported 20 Minutes.

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Average Swiss household income reaches nearly 115,000 francs

2021-11-29

2021-11-29

The gross mean household income in Switzerland was CHF 114,984 (US$ 125,000) in 2019, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Overall, 40% of households in Switzerland had income over this mean while 60% brought in less.

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Swiss Federal Council rejects two votes on pension reform

2021-11-28

2021-11-28

This week, the Federal Council rejected two very different initiatives aimed at changing the state pension system. In common with much of the developed world, Switzerland is facing a large gap between the money required to fund state pensions and the money flowing in to pay for them, a challenge driven by increasing life expectancy, a rise in the number of pensioners as the population ages and the way the system is funded.

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Lights out – Geneva to cut lights to save electricity

2021-11-20

2021-11-20

This week, the government of the canton of Geneva changed a law to require non residential buildings, with some exceptions, to switch off their lights at night between 1am and 6am.

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Zermatt restaurant operators in prison after defying Covid rules

2021-11-03

2021-11-03

Over the weekend the owners of a family-run restaurant were taken into police custody for defiantly operating their restaurant in contravention of Switzerland’s Covid rules, reported 20 Minutes.

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Covid: new cases up 30 percent this week in Switzerland

2021-11-01

2021-11-01

This week, 10,148 new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Switzerland, up 30% from the 7,818 recorded the week before. On a 7-day moving average basis, the number of daily new cases was 1,450.

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Last authorised protest in Bern ahead of anti-Covid vote takes place peacefully

2021-10-31

2021-10-31

Last weekend, several thousand protestors assembled outside the Federal Palace in Bern to voice their opposition to Switzerland’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, reported Tribune de Genève.

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Swiss government deficit for 2021 revised down

2021-10-30

2021-10-30

The latest forecast for 2021 shows a deficit of CHF 14.8 billion, down CHF 2.6 billion from an earlier forecast shortfall of CHF 17.4 billion. The deficit is driven mainly by the extraordinary cost of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Swiss life expectancy drops sharply in 2020

2021-10-29

2021-10-29

Recently published figures show the largest fall in male life expectancy in Switzerland since 1944 and the largest since 1962 for women.

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Thousands protest against Covid measures in Switzerland

2021-10-20

2021-10-20

Over the weekend, several thousand people took to Swiss streets to protest against Switzerland’s measures to reduce the impact of Covid-19, reported RTS.

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Swiss unemployment down, especially among young

2021-10-12

2021-10-12

Unemployment fell from 2.7% to 2.6% in September 2021 in Switzerland, with a sharp drop among those aged 15 to 24, reported RTS. By the end of September 2021, just over 200,000 people were looking for employment in Switzerland according to Switzerland’s standard measure, which is focused on those registered with the official unemployment office, something required to collect unemployment benefits.

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Swiss opposition to extension of Covid certificates lower than perceived

2021-10-09

2021-10-09

According to a recent survey, one third of Swiss are against the extension of Covid certificates. But most think opposition is higher.

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Covid: non-mRNA vaccine soon available in Switzerland

2021-10-02

2021-10-02

On 29 September 2021, Switzerland’s government announced it had signed a contract with Johnson & Johnson to receive 150,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. The delivery of the doses is expected next week.

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