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Today in Switzerland For Members

Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Thursday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Thursday
Switzerland (here Zurich) has been hit by arctic weather. Photo by Patrick Federi on Unsplash

Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.

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Praise for Switzerland’s new, shorter quarantine
 
The Federal Council’s announcement on Wednesday about its decision to cut the obligatory quarantine for anyone testing positive for Covid to five days met with mostly positive reactions from cantonal authorities and business circles.

The general belief is that a shorter confinement will prevent the economic collapse due to staff absences in critical sectors.
 
From the health perspective as well, "five days is reasonable",  said Zurich epidemiologist Jan Fehr, who pointed out that the move “makes sense” in the current situation.
 
READ MORE: Switzerland to cut quarantine period for vaccinated and extend current measures

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Brrr! Switzerland is hit by sub-zero temperatures
 
There is no doubt winter has finally made its appearance, with frigid temperatures in many regions of the country.
 
The lowest temperature so far —28.4 degrees below zero — is recorded in St. Gallen's Toggenburg area, followed by La Brévine, canton Neuchâtel, at - 26.8.
 
Switzerland’s coldest city is Sion (VS) with -9.1 degrees and Basel (-4.8). Geneva, on the other hand, is relatively warm; 0 degrees was registered there on Wednesday.

The latest forecast calls for more cold weather.

 Swiss citizenship most desirable in the world, new study shows
 
Switzerland ranks in the first place a newly released World Citizenship Report (WCR), a survey by CS Global Partners that "examines which countries offer the most benefits for global citizens, particularly in a post-Covid world where those that have the means are consistently searching for greater opportunities and better protection”, according to Micha Emmett, the CEO of CS Global Partners.
 
Based on such criteria as safety and security, business environment, quality of life, travel, and financial freedom, Switzerland came ahead of Denmark, which is in second place, followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden in joint third.

Switzerland in number 1. Image:World Citizenship Report (WCR)

READ MORE: The nine most surprising questions on Switzerland’s citizenship exam

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“Masked” youngsters purchase alcohol and cigarettes
 
This should not really come as a surprise — more like ‘what did you expect’ kind of comment: compulsory mask makes it easier for young people to buy alcohol and tobacco, according to the undercover operation conducted by the Zurich  police in 2021.
 
In half the stores they visited, teens aged 14 to 17 have managed to buy alcohol or cigarettes, or both, as the required identity checks were not carried out by sales staff.
 
This marks a "significant increase compared to the pre-pandemic period”, police said, adding that the findings are in line with national figures.
 
Employees who illegally sold alcohol or cigarettes to young people were sanctioned. Store operators also risk administrative penalties, such as a temporary ban on the sale of alcohol or the withdrawal of the operator's license.

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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