Swiss town votes for CHF500 ‘Corona voucher’ scheme
Glass producers in the town of Hergiswil in central Switzerland will be hoping local residents spend their vouchers on their handiwork.
Keystone / Martin Ruetschi
Voters in the lakeside town of Hergiswil in central Switzerland have backed a scheme to give each adult resident a voucher worth CHF500 ($528) to spend in shops and businesses to boost the local economy hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This content was published on
1 minute
Luzerner Zeitung/sb
Português
pt
Cidade suíça vai dar “vale Corona” no valor de 2.800 reais
In a local vote on June 28External link the citizens of Hergiswil, which has a population of 5,800, voted overwhelmingly in favour of a loan of CHF2.6 million for “Corona vouchers” for local residents.
Under the scheme, each adult in the wealthy town in canton Nidwalden on Lake Lucerne will receive a voucher worth CHF500 to spend in Hergiswil restaurants, shops and businesses by the end of the year.
“The aim is to provide financial relief to people and households and to increase the turnover of local businesses as soon as possible,” the local council said.
“The municipal council is convinced that this measure will boost consumer demand and thus support the economic cycle locally at short notice.”
Voucher schemes
The idea has gained favour in a number of other Swiss cantons and municipalities to boost businesses and tourism.
The city of Zug, for example, last month set up a Covid fund worth CHF10 million, with a large share going towards local train businesses. Each local train user will receive a voucher worth CHF100 to spend on train travel.
Similar voucher schemes have been launched in cantons Obwalden, Nidwalden, Uri, Ticino, Thurgau and Valais.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.