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Today in Switzerland For Members

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
The Swiss want their mountain traditions to be inscribed on Unesco's list. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP

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

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It’s “back to normal” time in Switzerland

No, this is not an April Fools joke: starting today, all Covid-related rules are dropped.

Measures that remained in place after the initial easing on February 17th, including the obligation to wear masks on public transport and in healthcare establishments, as well to isolate after testing positive, are now scrapped.

The spring and summer will be “rule-free” (at least in regards to Covid), but only time will tell for how long.

READ MORE:Switzerland to remove all Covid measures on Friday

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Jobs are rebounding in the hotel and restaurant sector

The number of jobs in the two industries that were most impacted by repeated closures during the pandemic has risen significantly in a span of one year.

The hiring of personnel for the the hotel and restaurant industry went up by nearly 140 percent between March 2021 and March 2022, according to a new study by Michael Page recruitment agency.

In all sectors combined, job offers have increased by 40.1 percent over the past 12 months.

Recruitment has been particularly strong for environment and ecology jobs (+69.7 percent), and in IT security (+68.1 percent).

All parts of Switzerland are seeing positive growth in advertised job vacancies, with demand the highest in eastern part of the country as well as in the Lake Geneva region.

Initiative launched in Geneva to extend the right to vote to foreigners

A group of left-wing organisations and trade unions have launched a constitutional initiative which aims to extend the political rights of foreigners at a cantonal level. 

The initiative, which was launched on Thursday, is called "A life here, a voice here... Let us strengthen our democracy". They have until early August to collect the necessary 8,157 signatures.

About 40 percent of Geneva’s population is made up of foreign nationals, the highest proportion in Switzerland. While they have a right to vote on municipal issues, they have no political rights at the cantonal level.

Currently, only Neuchâtel and Jura grant the right to vote to foreigners on cantonal issues.

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Switzerland wants this tradition to become part of UNESCO's Cultural Heritage

On March 31st, Switzerland submitted a request to include the alpine pasture season on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A  tradition of Swiss mountain areas, this practice of leading cattle to high pastures has been practiced throughout the country since at least the Middle Ages.

It includes the management of pastures, cheese production, artisanal manufacture of foods and objects, as well as other regional customs and rituals still practiced in the mountains.

Though old, these traditions have been constantly adapted to local climatic, social and economic conditions.

The decision about whether to include the alpine pasture season on the United Nations’ cultural heritage list will be made in 2023. In the meantime, the list already includes 13 Swiss sites, such as the Old City of Bern, the Jungfrau-Aletsch glacier, and terraced vineyards in Vaud’s Lavaux region, among others.

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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