Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Significant increase in Covid cases in Switzerland
Coronavirus is making a comeback, with 33,754 new cases reported in Switzerland on Wednesday — 10,000 more than the already high number of 23,684 registered the day before.
Infection rate went up by 42.5 percent in a span of one week.
Among those recently infected with the virus is none other than Health Minister Alain Berset, who went into isolation after testing positive on Wednesday afternoon.
Hospitalisations and death rates, on the other hand, have not increased.
The resurgence of Covid is neither surprising nor necessarily negative, as “these contaminations contribute to building our immunity”, according to Didier Pittet, head of the infection prevention service at Geneva’s University Hospitals (HUG).
READ MORE:‘Not bad news’: Why Swiss experts are optimistic about rising Covid cases
Swiss mortgage rates are sinking
Good news is on the horizon for Switzerland’s homeowners, though it is happening for an unfortunate reason: the effects of the Ukraine war are causing mortgage interest rates in Switzerland to drop. According to experts, further declines in interest rates can be expected in the coming weeks.
Overall, almost a third of the rise in interest rates since the beginning of the year has been wiped out.
An average fixed-rate mortgage rate for the 10 best deals from mortgage broker Moneypark now falls between six and eight points compared to February. A 10-year fixed-rate mortgage is offered at the rate of 1.31 percent, with the best offer being 1.05 percent.
Switzerland makes another concession for Ukrainians
Swiss authorities have already made several exceptions for Ukrainians refugees, including facilitating entry procedures for those fleeing the war in their country.
Now the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (OFDF) has also lifted, for all vehicles transporting Ukrainian refugees or humanitarian deliveries to Ukraine, the obligation to have a motorway sticker affixed to the car's window shield.
Motorway vignette. Photo by OFDF
Trend reversal: Germans are coming to shop in Switzerland
Even though common goods are generally cheaper in Germany, especially now that the euro reached parity with the franc, retailers on the Swiss side of the border are noticing more German customers in their shops.
The reason: in Germany masks are still compulsory in stores, so German shopping tourists are increasingly flocking to the Swiss border towns, according to local retailers.
“We have a lot more customers from Germany”, said Ruth Domeisen, a shopkeeper Stein am Rhein, canton Schaffhausen.
“They want to shop without wearing a mask”.
READ MORE: Parity with the euro: Why the Swiss franc is now so strong
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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Significant increase in Covid cases in Switzerland
Coronavirus is making a comeback, with 33,754 new cases reported in Switzerland on Wednesday — 10,000 more than the already high number of 23,684 registered the day before.
Infection rate went up by 42.5 percent in a span of one week.
Among those recently infected with the virus is none other than Health Minister Alain Berset, who went into isolation after testing positive on Wednesday afternoon.
Hospitalisations and death rates, on the other hand, have not increased.
The resurgence of Covid is neither surprising nor necessarily negative, as “these contaminations contribute to building our immunity”, according to Didier Pittet, head of the infection prevention service at Geneva’s University Hospitals (HUG).
READ MORE:‘Not bad news’: Why Swiss experts are optimistic about rising Covid cases
Swiss mortgage rates are sinking
Good news is on the horizon for Switzerland’s homeowners, though it is happening for an unfortunate reason: the effects of the Ukraine war are causing mortgage interest rates in Switzerland to drop. According to experts, further declines in interest rates can be expected in the coming weeks.
Overall, almost a third of the rise in interest rates since the beginning of the year has been wiped out.
An average fixed-rate mortgage rate for the 10 best deals from mortgage broker Moneypark now falls between six and eight points compared to February. A 10-year fixed-rate mortgage is offered at the rate of 1.31 percent, with the best offer being 1.05 percent.
Switzerland makes another concession for Ukrainians
Swiss authorities have already made several exceptions for Ukrainians refugees, including facilitating entry procedures for those fleeing the war in their country.
Now the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (OFDF) has also lifted, for all vehicles transporting Ukrainian refugees or humanitarian deliveries to Ukraine, the obligation to have a motorway sticker affixed to the car's window shield.
Trend reversal: Germans are coming to shop in Switzerland
Even though common goods are generally cheaper in Germany, especially now that the euro reached parity with the franc, retailers on the Swiss side of the border are noticing more German customers in their shops.
The reason: in Germany masks are still compulsory in stores, so German shopping tourists are increasingly flocking to the Swiss border towns, according to local retailers.
“We have a lot more customers from Germany”, said Ruth Domeisen, a shopkeeper Stein am Rhein, canton Schaffhausen.
“They want to shop without wearing a mask”.
READ MORE: Parity with the euro: Why the Swiss franc is now so strong
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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