Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Announcement about the lifting of coronavirus measures is imminent
The Federal Council will announce this afternoon which Covid measures will be scrapped from tomorrow or in the near future.
Likely to fall is the Covid certificate requirement to enter bars, restaurants, and other indoor venues. There would also be no further restrictions on private meetings, while large events would no longer have to be authorised.
However, mask requirements on public transport in other tight spaces will probably remain in place for the time being.
READ MORE: Will Switzerland relax all Covid measures on Wednesday?
40 percent of Switzerland’s population infected with Omicron in four weeks
A very large majority of Swiss residents will have "some immunity" against Covid at the end of this winter, whether through vaccination or contamination with the virus, according to the Covid-19 Task Force.
Nearly 900,000 people tested positive in just four weeks during the winter of 2021-2022; if unreported cases are also taken into account, this figure is likely three or four times higher, the task force reported.
In the end, up to 3.6 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus, most of them with the Omicron variant.
Being a homeowner in Switzerland got even more expensive
Yet another study confirms what we already knew: that properties in Switzerland became even costlier than before.
In 2021, prices rose by an average of 6 percent for single-family houses and 5.5 percent for apartments, according to new data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) — an economic indicator that measures the development of market prices for residential properties.
This map shows where in Switzerland properties are most expensive and by how much prices increased in the last three months of 2021.
Image: FSO
And if climbing prices are not enough of a deterrent for future homeowners, mortgage rates at each of Switzerland’s major banks are also on the rise .
READ MORE: Mortgage rates set to rise in Switzerland
Which Swiss municipalities have more vehicles than inhabitants?
The Swiss like to travel by public transportation, but it appears that residents of some towns are really attached to their automobiles.
So much so, that in some municipalities there are more vehicles than people. Canton-wise, Valais has most car-happy towns: Dorénaz with 128 vehicles per 100 inhabitants, followed by Agettes (123 / 100) and Montana (103).
On the other hand, Valais also has two municipalities with fewest per-capita vehicles. They are the car-free resorts of Zermatt (54.2 / 100) and Saas-Fee (59.7).
The national average is 54.1 cars per 100 inhabitants, but while the three Valais towns mentioned above break the record for the number of cars per inhabitant, its overall average (65.1) is lower than Zug’s (70.9) and Schwyz's (65.3
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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Announcement about the lifting of coronavirus measures is imminent
The Federal Council will announce this afternoon which Covid measures will be scrapped from tomorrow or in the near future.
Likely to fall is the Covid certificate requirement to enter bars, restaurants, and other indoor venues. There would also be no further restrictions on private meetings, while large events would no longer have to be authorised.
However, mask requirements on public transport in other tight spaces will probably remain in place for the time being.
READ MORE: Will Switzerland relax all Covid measures on Wednesday?
40 percent of Switzerland’s population infected with Omicron in four weeks
A very large majority of Swiss residents will have "some immunity" against Covid at the end of this winter, whether through vaccination or contamination with the virus, according to the Covid-19 Task Force.
Nearly 900,000 people tested positive in just four weeks during the winter of 2021-2022; if unreported cases are also taken into account, this figure is likely three or four times higher, the task force reported.
In the end, up to 3.6 million people may have been infected with the coronavirus, most of them with the Omicron variant.
Being a homeowner in Switzerland got even more expensive
Yet another study confirms what we already knew: that properties in Switzerland became even costlier than before.
In 2021, prices rose by an average of 6 percent for single-family houses and 5.5 percent for apartments, according to new data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) — an economic indicator that measures the development of market prices for residential properties.
This map shows where in Switzerland properties are most expensive and by how much prices increased in the last three months of 2021.
And if climbing prices are not enough of a deterrent for future homeowners, mortgage rates at each of Switzerland’s major banks are also on the rise .
READ MORE: Mortgage rates set to rise in Switzerland
Which Swiss municipalities have more vehicles than inhabitants?
The Swiss like to travel by public transportation, but it appears that residents of some towns are really attached to their automobiles.
So much so, that in some municipalities there are more vehicles than people. Canton-wise, Valais has most car-happy towns: Dorénaz with 128 vehicles per 100 inhabitants, followed by Agettes (123 / 100) and Montana (103).
On the other hand, Valais also has two municipalities with fewest per-capita vehicles. They are the car-free resorts of Zermatt (54.2 / 100) and Saas-Fee (59.7).
The national average is 54.1 cars per 100 inhabitants, but while the three Valais towns mentioned above break the record for the number of cars per inhabitant, its overall average (65.1) is lower than Zug’s (70.9) and Schwyz's (65.3
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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