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Today in Switzerland For Members

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

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Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
A staff member checks if skiers wear a protective face mask against the spread of the Covid-19 (novel coronavirus), as they queue for the ski lift, above the resort of Verbier in the Swiss Alps on November 15, 2020. - The coronavirus crisis shuttered Switzerland's ski resorts in the spring, but they are banking on tighter precautions and the Swiss love of the mountains to save them as the winter season begins. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

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

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Booster vaccination may be possible at the end of October

Amid debates about the third vaccine does — and criticism over the government’s slowness — Switzerland’s  regulatory agency said the long-awaited booster rollout may be imminent.

Claus Bolte, Head of Authorisation at Swissmedic,  said in an interview with SRF public broadcaster that approval may come within two or three weeks.

“It now essentially depends on the companies” — Pfizer and Moderna — “and how they cooperate. If they answer our questions, we will extend the approval”.

However, Bolte didn’t specify the exact timing of boosters and which groups will be eligible to receive them.

READ MORE: Covid-19: Why is Switzerland still stalling on booster shots?

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Migros to sell vegan eggs

Switzerland’s largest retail chain announced it will start selling “the first hard-boiled egg of vegetable origin”, on November 2nd.

The company is not divulging what the egg is made of, except saying it will be "exclusively vegetable-based", and Swiss-made.

“A team led by a nutritionist from Migros has been working on this creation for years”, the retailed added, noting that additional information about the new product will be revealed at its launch.

Initially, the egg will be sold at Migros branches in  Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and Geneva.

"Are you mine or are you vegan?" Photo by Alison Burrell from Pexels
 

The rate of vaccination is up in Switzerland

Latest data from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) shows that over 62 percent of Switzerland’s residents are now fully vaccinated.

This number is considerably higher than it was before the Covid certificate requirement went into effect on September 11th, when it hovered around the mid-50s.

And though it still lags behind the European Union average, it is inching closer to it.

Chart by Our World in Data

Swiss ski industry impatient to know about measures on the slopes

With the start of the ski season just around the corner, resort operators want to know what protective measures will be implemented, but the Federal Council has not announced its decision yet.

“We need planning security,” Mario Bislin, CEO of Flumserberg Ski Lifts told Neue Zurcher Zeitung. "After all, we want to tell our guests as specifically as possible how they should behave on and off the slopes”.

Many in the ski industry are opposed to the Covid certificate requirement currently being debated by the authorities.

"A certificate requirement is nonsense because it does not help”, Bislin said, adding that “contrary to all fears, no ski resort in Switzerland has become a hotspot,” during the 2020 ski season.

READ MORE: Covid-19: What will the ski season look like in Switzerland this year?

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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