Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Cost of living dropped slightly in November; people in Switzerland like their healthcare system; and more news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Good news for Swiss consumers: the cost of living has fallen slightly
Despite rent increases that went into effect in October, the overall price level fell by 0.2 percent in November, according to a new study released on Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Where did the prices decline most?
For both food and travel / leisure, there has been a drop of between 0.6 and 0.9 percent.
The biggest decrease, however (-1 percent), was in the gastronomy and travel sector.
READ ALSO: What will happen to the Swiss economy in 2024?
Most people in Switzerland are satisfied with their healthcare
Even though health insurance premiums are set to experience another hike in 2024 (by 8.7 percent on average), the majority of Swiss residents are happy with the quality of healthcare they receive.
This is the finding of a new survey conducted in 10 countries by the Commonwealth Fund, a US foundation that analyses experiences that people in various countries (including Switzerland) have with their healthcare system.
In Switzerland, 63 percent of respondents described the quality of medical care in this country as “excellent” or “very good”.
Interestingly, healthcare is rated more highly in German-speaking part of the country (64 percent) and French-speaking Switzerland (61 percent) than in the Italian-speaking Ticino (52 percent).
Covid update: the worst is over — for now
Latest data collected by Swiss epidemiologists suggests that the most recent coronavirus wave, during which many people fell ill, has already passed its peak and infections are falling again — at least for the time being.
Experts also say the latest wave is unusual in that it was not driven by a new variant, but had struck because few infections occurred in a long time, so the collective immunity had weakened.
The forecast for the winter remains uncertain, depending on whether new variants will emerge and displace the current one (XBB), and how contagious they will be.
HO, HO, HO: Zurich’s Santa Claus is waiting for your call (or WhatsUp)
If any kids (or kids at heart) want to get in touch with their municipal Santa Claus (Samichlaus), they can to do so by calling him on his hotline, at number 044-454-7000.
They can also contact him via What’sUp.
Santa reportedly gets hundreds of messages each week just before Christmas, all of which he duly answers himself — rather than delegating the task to his elf-operated customer service.)
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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Good news for Swiss consumers: the cost of living has fallen slightly
Despite rent increases that went into effect in October, the overall price level fell by 0.2 percent in November, according to a new study released on Monday by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
Where did the prices decline most?
For both food and travel / leisure, there has been a drop of between 0.6 and 0.9 percent.
The biggest decrease, however (-1 percent), was in the gastronomy and travel sector.
READ ALSO: What will happen to the Swiss economy in 2024?
Most people in Switzerland are satisfied with their healthcare
Even though health insurance premiums are set to experience another hike in 2024 (by 8.7 percent on average), the majority of Swiss residents are happy with the quality of healthcare they receive.
This is the finding of a new survey conducted in 10 countries by the Commonwealth Fund, a US foundation that analyses experiences that people in various countries (including Switzerland) have with their healthcare system.
In Switzerland, 63 percent of respondents described the quality of medical care in this country as “excellent” or “very good”.
Interestingly, healthcare is rated more highly in German-speaking part of the country (64 percent) and French-speaking Switzerland (61 percent) than in the Italian-speaking Ticino (52 percent).
Covid update: the worst is over — for now
Latest data collected by Swiss epidemiologists suggests that the most recent coronavirus wave, during which many people fell ill, has already passed its peak and infections are falling again — at least for the time being.
Experts also say the latest wave is unusual in that it was not driven by a new variant, but had struck because few infections occurred in a long time, so the collective immunity had weakened.
The forecast for the winter remains uncertain, depending on whether new variants will emerge and displace the current one (XBB), and how contagious they will be.
HO, HO, HO: Zurich’s Santa Claus is waiting for your call (or WhatsUp)
If any kids (or kids at heart) want to get in touch with their municipal Santa Claus (Samichlaus), they can to do so by calling him on his hotline, at number 044-454-7000.
They can also contact him via What’sUp.
Santa reportedly gets hundreds of messages each week just before Christmas, all of which he duly answers himself — rather than delegating the task to his elf-operated customer service.)
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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