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Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Wednesday

Helena Bachmann
Helena Bachmann - [email protected]
Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Wednesday
Households saved less money during second shutdown. Photo by Depositphotos

Find out what's going on in Switzerland today with The Local's short round-up of the news.

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Right-wing politician campaigns against dual-national MPs

Marco Chiesa, president of Swiss People’s Party (SVP), said he doubts the loyalty of deputies who hold dual citizenships and has drafted a parliamentary initiative entitled "Transparency in the disclosure of nationalities".

He wants all elected officials who have foreign passports in addition to the Swiss ones to publicly divulge their bi-national status.

The initiative is sparking controversy in the parliament.

The UK coronavirus variant is dominant in Switzerland

Coronavirus variants are now largely dominant in Switzerland, accounting for 80 percent of new infections detected in the country,  according to the crisis management section of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).

"The British variant represents the bulk of these strains, while the South African and Brazilian variants are not encountered as often", said FOPH’s Patrick Mathys.

"The UK virus will cause more contamination than the other variants”, Mathys added.

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People in Switzerland saved less money during the second lockdown

Swiss residents set aside much less money during the second wave of pandemic than during the first, a report by Credit Suisse bank found.

Swiss households saved an average of 880 francs during the second confinement, against around 3,000 francs during the first one in spring 2020.

And some households have not been able to save at all, or have even been forced to dip into their savings, the report noted.

The money set aside during the 2020 lockdown was spent after the restrictions were lifted; until the start of the second wave, consumer spending had almost returned to its pre-crisis level in Switzerland.

READ MORE: Why Switzerland’s economy is on the up despite the coronavirus pandemic

Politicians are calling for a Holocaust memorial in Bern

More than 100 national councilors, including all parliamentary group presidents, have signed a motion spearheaded by MP Alfred Heer to have a memorial commemorating Jewish victims of Nazism built in the country’s capital.

"The catastrophe that National Socialism wreaked in Europe must not be forgotten, especially among young people”, Heer said.

The memorial is to be financed and supported by the federal government, with the support of the cantons and municipalities, the Swiss Association of Israelites said.

Concrete proposals will be presented to the public in May.

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