Switzerland Today

Hello from canton Zurich,

It’s the end of the school term here in canton Zurich. In general, pupils in Switzerland have been able to attend school all year, thanks to strict anti-Covid measures and, in some places – like our local primary - weekly mass testing. There have, of course, been localised cases during this time.

The canton of Zurich said today that it was too early to predict what would happen in autumn term given “the current corona situation”. Key will be the how the country’s coronavirus cases, already on the rise and dominated by the Delta variant - more on that below - develop over the summer.

In the news: the weather and the coronavirus

The flood risk is still a cause for concern. Lakes and rivers in central Swiss cantons such as Bern (pictured here is the capital city) and Lucerne reached dangerous levels on Friday, and the rain is not set to ease until Monday. However, initial fears of another “flood of the century”, as in 2005, are receding. We are keeping you updated.

Coronavirus cases are still on the rise. They stood at 619 new casesExternal link on Friday, with one death. This makes the seven-day average 398, up 82% on the previous week. The Delta variant accounts for 77.6% of cases. Further updates can be found in our article here.

Weigh in: Convincing people to get a Covid vaccine

Like many countries, Switzerland has experienced a drop in the Covid-19 vaccination rate, down to around 60,000 jabs a day. 43.3% of the population have received two doses, Friday’s figures showExternal link. To avoid a major fourth wave of the virus, experts say vaccination coverage needs to be broadened. But what’s the best way to do this?

Do positive incentives like give-aways work? Or should more coercive measures like in France be taken? My colleague Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi has started a discussion on the issue below.

Deep dive: Horizon Europe fallout

Switzerland has been locked out of the European Union’s flagship Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme until further notice, as we reported on Wednesday.  

The move follows the Swiss government’s unilateral decision in June to walk away from negotiations concerning an overarching agreement to simplify bilateral relations with Brussels. Relations between the two sides are now shaky, as we highlighted in this recent article.

In an opinion piece published on Friday, Yves Flückiger, president of swissuniversities, the sector’s umbrella body, explains why being excluded from Horizon Europe is a big blow for Switzerland’s research landscape and for the country as a whole.

You can read the piece in full here.

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Dear readers,

Thanks for joining a small group of test readers for our daily briefing from Switzerland. Our “soft” launch has just started. This month we’ll be experimenting and fine-tuning the content and presentation. Please send any feedback. We especially want to know what you’d like to read about. What kind of coverage about Switzerland are you interested in? We’d love to hear from you. Write to us at this email.