Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Some relief on the weather front; and higher prices for air travel to continue: this and other news from Switzerland on Monday.
This week’s weather: rain
After days of very hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, forecasts call for rain during the last days of this month, according to Meteonews.
Broadly speaking, a few thunderstorms have already hit some parts of Switzerland on Sunday evening and overnight. Today and the rest of the week will be marked by regionally heavy showers, possibly accompanied by gusty winds and cooler temperatures.
The weather for next few days. Screenshot: Meteonews
While sun may briefly return on Wednesday and Thursday, further deterioration is expected between Thursday evening and Friday.
Depending on the amount of rain that will fall in the next days, the precipitations may bring at least some relief to extremely arid soil, meteorologists say.
Switzerland asked to approve anti-Omicron vaccine
Covid vaccine manufacturer Moderna applied for the authorisation for its updated vaccine that targets Omicron, according to drug regulatory body, Swissmedic.
“The modified composition promises to be more effective against the Omicron variant", the health agency said.
Previous vaccines were efficient against earlier mutations like Delta, but they proffered no immunity against Omicron, which now accounts for 99 percent of Covid infections in Switzerland.
Swissmedic has not said when approval for the modified vaccine will be given, but it could possibly speed up the administration of second booster doses for general public, which Swiss health authorities have not yet rolled out.
READ MORE: Reader question: When will Switzerland authorise second Covid booster shots
Price of airline tickets will continue to rise
As though cancelled flights and chaos at airports don’t cause enough travel woes, flying is becoming more expensive as well.
It’s not unusual that prices of plane tickets increase just before high-volume travel times like summer holidays.
This year, however, as the war in Ukraine is causing fuel costs to go up, airline tickets will be more expensive even during low-travel periods like fall.
SWISS airline, for instance, has increased the prices of its flights worldwide in recent months, and could continue this upward trend in the autumn.
"Due to the current price of crude oil, further price adjustments for air travel are likely this year," the company spokesperson said.
SWISS’ sister airline, Edelweiss Air, also confirmed its passengers are facing higher costs.
“Flying in the future may cost more than in previous years,” the company predicted.
And speaking of cancelled flights…
SWISS airline already said on June 8th that it is cancelling a number of flights from both Zurich in Geneva during the busy summer travel season, including those to London Heathrow and San Francisco.
On Sunday, Switzerland’s national airline announced that on top of the flights already suspended, “further cuts unfortunately cannot be avoided due to resource constraints and operational challenges across the airline industry".
The carrier did not specify which routes will be affected, but said passengers “will be actively informed. Automatic reservation changes will be made or individual solutions will be sought”.
READ MORE: Which flights have SWISS airlines cut ahead of summer season?
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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This week’s weather: rain
After days of very hot weather, with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, forecasts call for rain during the last days of this month, according to Meteonews.
Broadly speaking, a few thunderstorms have already hit some parts of Switzerland on Sunday evening and overnight. Today and the rest of the week will be marked by regionally heavy showers, possibly accompanied by gusty winds and cooler temperatures.
The weather for next few days. Screenshot: Meteonews
While sun may briefly return on Wednesday and Thursday, further deterioration is expected between Thursday evening and Friday.
Depending on the amount of rain that will fall in the next days, the precipitations may bring at least some relief to extremely arid soil, meteorologists say.
Switzerland asked to approve anti-Omicron vaccine
Covid vaccine manufacturer Moderna applied for the authorisation for its updated vaccine that targets Omicron, according to drug regulatory body, Swissmedic.
“The modified composition promises to be more effective against the Omicron variant", the health agency said.
Previous vaccines were efficient against earlier mutations like Delta, but they proffered no immunity against Omicron, which now accounts for 99 percent of Covid infections in Switzerland.
Swissmedic has not said when approval for the modified vaccine will be given, but it could possibly speed up the administration of second booster doses for general public, which Swiss health authorities have not yet rolled out.
READ MORE: Reader question: When will Switzerland authorise second Covid booster shots
Price of airline tickets will continue to rise
As though cancelled flights and chaos at airports don’t cause enough travel woes, flying is becoming more expensive as well.
It’s not unusual that prices of plane tickets increase just before high-volume travel times like summer holidays.
This year, however, as the war in Ukraine is causing fuel costs to go up, airline tickets will be more expensive even during low-travel periods like fall.
SWISS airline, for instance, has increased the prices of its flights worldwide in recent months, and could continue this upward trend in the autumn.
"Due to the current price of crude oil, further price adjustments for air travel are likely this year," the company spokesperson said.
SWISS’ sister airline, Edelweiss Air, also confirmed its passengers are facing higher costs.
“Flying in the future may cost more than in previous years,” the company predicted.
And speaking of cancelled flights…
SWISS airline already said on June 8th that it is cancelling a number of flights from both Zurich in Geneva during the busy summer travel season, including those to London Heathrow and San Francisco.
On Sunday, Switzerland’s national airline announced that on top of the flights already suspended, “further cuts unfortunately cannot be avoided due to resource constraints and operational challenges across the airline industry".
The carrier did not specify which routes will be affected, but said passengers “will be actively informed. Automatic reservation changes will be made or individual solutions will be sought”.
READ MORE: Which flights have SWISS airlines cut ahead of summer season?
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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