Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Swiss lakes and rivers drying up, house prices climbing, and other news from Switzerland in The Local's short roundup.
Drought: Swiss lakes and rivers don’t have enough water
The water levels of Lakes Constance, Walen, Lucerne and Lugano have reached historic lows, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
Continued drought has also impacted some rivers, whose levels are "strongly to moderately" below average for the season, FOEN said.
The level of the Rhine and the Reuss, for instance, is “among the lowest ever recorded during the summer months", while the Aare and the Limmat show low levels only observed "every two to five years".
READ MORE: Body stress, drought and borders: How the heatwave affects Switzerland
Swiss operators to phase out 2G cellular networks
The second-generation mobile networks have become obsolete with the introduction of the much faster 4G and 5G broadbands, and Switzerland will deactivate the old system at the beginning of 2023.
However, while most people already own devices that support 4G and 5G standards, some will be affected by the change.
The reason is that some emergency call systems, such as those installed on older elevators, will no longer work.
The same holds true for some navigation systems (GPS), which use the 2G and are not yet adapted to newer technologies.
The media reports that although some elevator and GPS manufacturers are not happy about the change, both Swisscom and Sunrise said they informed the affected industries “early enough” of the planned 2G shutdown.
Property prices continue to rise despite higher interest rates
The average purchase price for single-family homes in Switzerland went up by 5.6 percent in the first six months of this year, and the cost of apartments rose by 3.2 percent, according to a new survey by mortgage broker Moneypark and the Zurich-based startup Pricehubble, which specialises in real estate data.
Along with mounting real estate prices, fixed-rate mortgage rates have also been climbing.
As a result of these developments, “many mortgage holders have opted for offers with shorter maturities», the survey found.
"In particular, mortgages with maturities of more than 10 years were less in demand".
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why not paying off your mortgage in Switzerland can save you money
Roche launches new diagnostic test for Covid
The Swiss drug manufacturer has developed a new test that should allow better understanding of coronavirus infections.
Specifically, the product, called Elecsys IGRA, should shed light on immune responses to the virus and vaccinations, Roche said in a press release.
"This in turn may help understand and identify those at higher risk of progressing to severe disease during an existing or future infection. This is particularly important in immunocompromised and high-risk patient groups.The test results can help healthcare professionals to provide them with long-term guidance like appropriate treatment", the company added.
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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Drought: Swiss lakes and rivers don’t have enough water
The water levels of Lakes Constance, Walen, Lucerne and Lugano have reached historic lows, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
Continued drought has also impacted some rivers, whose levels are "strongly to moderately" below average for the season, FOEN said.
The level of the Rhine and the Reuss, for instance, is “among the lowest ever recorded during the summer months", while the Aare and the Limmat show low levels only observed "every two to five years".
READ MORE: Body stress, drought and borders: How the heatwave affects Switzerland
Swiss operators to phase out 2G cellular networks
The second-generation mobile networks have become obsolete with the introduction of the much faster 4G and 5G broadbands, and Switzerland will deactivate the old system at the beginning of 2023.
However, while most people already own devices that support 4G and 5G standards, some will be affected by the change.
The reason is that some emergency call systems, such as those installed on older elevators, will no longer work.
The same holds true for some navigation systems (GPS), which use the 2G and are not yet adapted to newer technologies.
The media reports that although some elevator and GPS manufacturers are not happy about the change, both Swisscom and Sunrise said they informed the affected industries “early enough” of the planned 2G shutdown.
Property prices continue to rise despite higher interest rates
The average purchase price for single-family homes in Switzerland went up by 5.6 percent in the first six months of this year, and the cost of apartments rose by 3.2 percent, according to a new survey by mortgage broker Moneypark and the Zurich-based startup Pricehubble, which specialises in real estate data.
Along with mounting real estate prices, fixed-rate mortgage rates have also been climbing.
As a result of these developments, “many mortgage holders have opted for offers with shorter maturities», the survey found.
"In particular, mortgages with maturities of more than 10 years were less in demand".
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why not paying off your mortgage in Switzerland can save you money
Roche launches new diagnostic test for Covid
The Swiss drug manufacturer has developed a new test that should allow better understanding of coronavirus infections.
Specifically, the product, called Elecsys IGRA, should shed light on immune responses to the virus and vaccinations, Roche said in a press release.
"This in turn may help understand and identify those at higher risk of progressing to severe disease during an existing or future infection. This is particularly important in immunocompromised and high-risk patient groups.The test results can help healthcare professionals to provide them with long-term guidance like appropriate treatment", the company added.
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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