Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Friday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Unemployment among foreigners is highest in three cantons
At 10.2 percent unemployment rate, Jura has the highest number of out-of-work foreign workers living permanently in Switzerland — as opposed to cross-border commuters – statistics from the job placement office (ORP) show.
Aargau is next, with 7.6 percent unemployment rate, followed by Valais (7.3 percent).
In case of Valais, which is a popular tourist destination, unemployment is due in large part to the slowdown in hotel and restaurant industries, the two sectors which employ mostly foreign workforce.
READ MORE: How do the Swiss really feel about foreigners?
Germany allows shoppers from Switzerland again —but under certain conditions
Shopping sprees in Germany without a quarantine and a negative test result is possible again from this Thursday, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Affairs for Baden-Württemberg, the German region which borders Switzerland.
Prior to this, only vaccinated Swiss could go shopping in Germany.
However, some rules for cross-border shopping are in place. Find out more about them from an article The Local will publish today.
New threats to Switzerland's security are identified
Terrorism, espionage, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, attack on critical infrastructure, as well as violent radicalism from both left and right are the main threats Switzerland is facing tight now, according to the Intelligence Service's annual report.
As far as terrorism, the biggest threat comes from radicalised individuals acting alone rather than organised groups.
Besides terrorism, the report mentions a new threat in the field of defense and in cyberspace., where malware attacks and various other illegal schemes are perpetrated.
Switzerland to donate AstraZeneca vaccines to poor nations
Switzerland will donate 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the international Covax programme, which helps distribute vaccines to low-income countries.
The government ordered 5.5 million doses of this vaccine early on, but it has not yet been used because the drug regulations agency, Swissmedic, has not approved it due to insufficient data.
The only vaccines administered in Switzerland are Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Two others, Curevac and Novavax, have not been yet been delivered or approved ivy Swissmedic.
Unlicensed doctors continue to treat patients
A number of doctors and dentists who had their licences revoked or refused continue to treat patients in Switzerland, according to consumer site Comparis.ch
Obviously, you want to avoid unlicensed doctors, but how can you know whether your medical provider falls into this category?
Comparis lists the names of doctors and dentists who are not allowed to practice in Switzerland, along with the canton and the date when their licenses were revoked.
This can happen for a number of reasons, including the most obvious one — botched medical treatment—along with endangering patients’ wellbeing and billing frauds.
You can check here to see whether your doctor and dentist are practicing in Switzerland legally.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Unemployment among foreigners is highest in three cantons
At 10.2 percent unemployment rate, Jura has the highest number of out-of-work foreign workers living permanently in Switzerland — as opposed to cross-border commuters – statistics from the job placement office (ORP) show.
Aargau is next, with 7.6 percent unemployment rate, followed by Valais (7.3 percent).
In case of Valais, which is a popular tourist destination, unemployment is due in large part to the slowdown in hotel and restaurant industries, the two sectors which employ mostly foreign workforce.
READ MORE: How do the Swiss really feel about foreigners?
Germany allows shoppers from Switzerland again —but under certain conditions
Shopping sprees in Germany without a quarantine and a negative test result is possible again from this Thursday, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Affairs for Baden-Württemberg, the German region which borders Switzerland.
Prior to this, only vaccinated Swiss could go shopping in Germany.
However, some rules for cross-border shopping are in place. Find out more about them from an article The Local will publish today.
New threats to Switzerland's security are identified
Terrorism, espionage, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, attack on critical infrastructure, as well as violent radicalism from both left and right are the main threats Switzerland is facing tight now, according to the Intelligence Service's annual report.
As far as terrorism, the biggest threat comes from radicalised individuals acting alone rather than organised groups.
Besides terrorism, the report mentions a new threat in the field of defense and in cyberspace., where malware attacks and various other illegal schemes are perpetrated.
Switzerland to donate AstraZeneca vaccines to poor nations
Switzerland will donate 3 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to the international Covax programme, which helps distribute vaccines to low-income countries.
The government ordered 5.5 million doses of this vaccine early on, but it has not yet been used because the drug regulations agency, Swissmedic, has not approved it due to insufficient data.
The only vaccines administered in Switzerland are Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Two others, Curevac and Novavax, have not been yet been delivered or approved ivy Swissmedic.
Unlicensed doctors continue to treat patients
A number of doctors and dentists who had their licences revoked or refused continue to treat patients in Switzerland, according to consumer site Comparis.ch
Obviously, you want to avoid unlicensed doctors, but how can you know whether your medical provider falls into this category?
Comparis lists the names of doctors and dentists who are not allowed to practice in Switzerland, along with the canton and the date when their licenses were revoked.
This can happen for a number of reasons, including the most obvious one — botched medical treatment—along with endangering patients’ wellbeing and billing frauds.
You can check here to see whether your doctor and dentist are practicing in Switzerland legally.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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