Tag Archives: Editor’s Choice

© Christian Heinz | Dreamstime.com A majority of Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of introducing a tax on flights departing from Switzerland. 132 voted in favour of the tax, with 65 against. The tax would range from CHF 30 to CHF 120 depending on the distance and class of travel, according to 20 Minutes. Private flights would be taxed too. A tax of between CHF 500 and CHF 5,000 would be charged depending on the type and size of aircraft. Parliament also voted...

A majority of Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of introducing a tax on flights departing from Switzerland. © Christian Heinz | Dreamstime.com132 voted in favour of the tax, with 65 against. The tax would range from CHF 30 to CHF 120 depending on the distance and class of travel, according to 20 Minutes. Private flights would be taxed too. A tax of between CHF 500 and CHF 5,000 would be charged depending on the type and size of aircraft. Parliament also voted in favour (133...

The coronavirus could cost Switzerland CHF 40 billion by the end of 2020, according to the Federal Council. © Pascal Halder | Dreamstime.comOn 11 June 2020, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house followed parliament in approving to extend the coronavirus budget by CHF 14.9 billion. The sum includes money to fund a hole in the unemployment benefits system (14.2 billion) and support the sporting industry (0.2 billion). In May 2020, parliament approved an overall sum of CHF 57...

© Haris Mulaosmanovic | Dreamstime.com The World Health Organization (WHO) recently changed its advice on face masks. It now recommends healthy people wear them in public when social distancing is not possible, stating that they could provide a barrier for potentially infectious droplets. The WHO had previously said there was not enough evidence to recommend healthy people should wear them, although it has always advised that medical face masks should be worn by...

© Denis Linine | Dreamstime.com Switzerland recently announced that it will lift existing entry restrictions with all EU and EFTA nations and the UK on 15 June 2020. In mid-May the Swiss government announced plans to fully reopen borders with France, Germany and Austria. On 2 June 2020, it decided to hold off on a full reopening of borders with Italy despite Italy’s decision to fully reopen its borders with Switzerland on 3 June 2020. However, on 5 June 2020, Federal...

© Colicaranica _ Dreamstime.com Over two days last week, Thailand reported a score of new coronavirus cases. All were Thai nationals returning by air from the Middle East. Otherwise, there have been almost no new community or ‘inside country’ cases since mid-May. Thai Airways (as with a growing number of other airlines) requires a “fit-to-fly” medical certificate for all passengers; it also obliges passengers to wear face masks throughout the entire flight. Such...

© Alexirina27000 | Dreamstime.com 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 travel to and from Switzerland unless they are able to under current border restrictions, for example...

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. © Michael Müller | Dreamstime.comDue 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 sector was the worst hit with accommodation and food services down -23.4%. Transport and communications (-5.1%), trade...

© Martinmark | Dreamstime.com Based on data from the first wave of Covid-19, epidemic modellers in Zurich estimate Switzerland would have suffered 22,000 deaths without the restrictions on daily life introduced in March 2020. The modelling, done by Fadoua Balabdaoui and Dirk Mohr at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), estimates nearly 75% of Switzerland’s population would be infected by now. One of the difficulties decision makers face when...

© Mengtianhan | Dreamstime.com 2.1% of the 100,000 hospital staff working across 20 Swiss hospitals were infected with SARS-COV-2, according to a report published in the SonntagsZeitung. The worst affected hospitals were in Geneva (6.26%), Neuchâtel (3.18%), Valais (2.86%), Lausanne (2.75%), Fribourg (2.74%) and Jura (2.11%). Rates of infection in hospitals in German-speaking Switzerland were lower. Thurgau’s hospital recorded the lowest rate (0.36%). Higher...