Switzerland today

Greetings from Bern,

Switzerland markets itself as a pristine destination to tourists abroad. However, recent reports have shown that our air, water and even soil are not as clean as we thought.

Around 38,000 sites across the country are classified as contaminated of which 4,000 sites have been flagged for remediation. It is a legacy of the past when the environment wasn’t such a high priority and the cleanup is going to be a long and costly process.

For thee but not for me? Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Swiss health and safety is not as great as you would think.

• The residents of Lausanne, Switzerland’s fourth largest city, learned yesterday that they could be living in an area with high levels of the carcinogen dioxin. The cause is being investigated but the likely culprit is the local waste incinerator plant which closed in 2005.  Meanwhile residents have been asked to avoid buying locally grown vegetables. Other Swiss cantons are also planning to commission dioxin studies after the news was announced. 
• Health workers may be on the frontline when it comes to dealing with Covid pandemic but they are not quite at the forefront when it comes to vaccination rates. In some Swiss cantons the rate is only 50% among nursesExternal link. Too much knowledge could be to blame. First-hand observation of the side effects of the vaccine, as well as worry about long-term consequences, are some of the reasons listed for vaccine reluctance among healthcare professionals. 

The “Silver bullet” has won every major marathon. Pa Wire

Switzerland’s most famous and least famous sporting heroes have the potential to do better.

• Roger Federer has dropped outExternal link of the top 10 in the ATP rankings for the first time in five years. Knee trouble has kept him out of action since his quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon, allowing Pole Hubert Hurkacz and Norwegian Casper Ruud to push past him. 
• Marcel Hug, who is probably the most decorated wheelchair marathoner of all time, won the Boston Marathon yesterday. Easily identifiable by his trademark silver helmet, Hug took home a cash prize of $50,000 and should be a happy man. However, he missed out on a bonus of $50,000 for breaking the course record (by a mere seven seconds!) because he took a wrong turnExternal link.