Today in Switzerland: A round-up of the latest news on Monday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
New entry requirements from Switzerland to France
Starting today, unvaccinated Swiss residents travelling to France will have to present a PCR or antigen test taken no less than 24 hours before departure.
The measure does not apply to cross-border commuters living within a radius of 30 kilometres or those who stay in France for less than 24 hours. Also excluded from the requirements are professional lorry drivers and people travelling on a business trip “whose urgency or frequency is incompatible with the performance of such a test”.
COVID-19 – Conditions d'entrée en France :
Dès lundi 22/11, les voyageurs non vaccinés en provenance de Suisse devront présenter un test PCR ou antigénique de moins de 24 heures avant le départ (au lieu de 72h).
⬇️https://t.co/bN9anGD9So
— Ambassade de France en Suisse 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 (@FranceenSuisse) November 19, 2021
Booster shots for all may not be offered until next year
Last week, the Federal Vaccinations Commission recommended that the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine be available to general public — and not just for those over 65 or in the risk group — for he end of November.
However, according to SonnatgsZeitung, boosters may not be offered to public at large until 2022.
The reason for the delay is that cantons can't guarantee that the third dose will be available to everyone before the end of December.
Another reason is that vaccination centres no longer have the high capacities because qualified staff was transferred elsewhere.
There is no word yet from the Health Ministry about the timing of boosters.
READ MORE: Switzerland set to approve booster shots for all amid surge in infections
A call to unite the Swiss divided by the pandemic
With the national campaign #LiebeSchweiz / # ChèreSuisse, the Swiss Society of Public Utility (SSUP) is calling for cohesion and respect for diversity of opinion during the Covid pandemic.
In what it describes as "the most serious crisis the country has been going through since World War II", the Zurich-based organisation hopes to mend the divisions among “families, friends, and society" through tolerance and constructive, rather than aggressive, discussion.
“We do not have a culture of debate in controversy in Switzerland,” said SSUP’s director, Lukas Niederberger.
He added that he fears a rise in aggression in social media and in the streets, as well as the "interruption of the democratic debate".
Santa Claus is coming to town
Last year, Santa (or more precisely, Sammichlaus) was mostly absent from the pre-Christmas celebrations, stranded by the Covid pandemic.
This year, however he is expected is to make an appearance again on the weekend of December 3rd to 6th, which marks the traditional St. Nicholas festivities.
Swiss-German cantons, where these festivities are commonplace, are coming up with creative ways to resume the tradition safely.
In these regions, for instance, Sammichlaus will visit houses, schools and elderly homes in compliance with 3G rules: Santas must be vaccinated, recovered, or tested.
READ MORE: What are the Covid rules for Switzerland’s Christmas markets?
Revealed: The most popular passwords in Switzerland
The passwords many people in Switzerland choose for their online accounts are a godsend for hackers.
A study of the 200 most popular passwords in Switzerland, carried out by NordPass password manager, shows that the simple sequence of numbers 123456 occupies the first position. In second and third place, there is a long version and a short version of the same variable: 123456789 and 12345.
It is not until the seventh position that letters enter into play: QWERTY, the first six letters at the top left of the keyboard — not exactly a brain teaser for a hacker either.
If you use any of these passwords, it would take a hacker one second to gain access to your account.
You can see other common passwords in Switzerland here.
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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New entry requirements from Switzerland to France
Starting today, unvaccinated Swiss residents travelling to France will have to present a PCR or antigen test taken no less than 24 hours before departure.
The measure does not apply to cross-border commuters living within a radius of 30 kilometres or those who stay in France for less than 24 hours. Also excluded from the requirements are professional lorry drivers and people travelling on a business trip “whose urgency or frequency is incompatible with the performance of such a test”.
COVID-19 – Conditions d'entrée en France :
— Ambassade de France en Suisse 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 (@FranceenSuisse) November 19, 2021
Dès lundi 22/11, les voyageurs non vaccinés en provenance de Suisse devront présenter un test PCR ou antigénique de moins de 24 heures avant le départ (au lieu de 72h).
⬇️https://t.co/bN9anGD9So
Booster shots for all may not be offered until next year
Last week, the Federal Vaccinations Commission recommended that the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine be available to general public — and not just for those over 65 or in the risk group — for he end of November.
However, according to SonnatgsZeitung, boosters may not be offered to public at large until 2022.
The reason for the delay is that cantons can't guarantee that the third dose will be available to everyone before the end of December.
Another reason is that vaccination centres no longer have the high capacities because qualified staff was transferred elsewhere.
There is no word yet from the Health Ministry about the timing of boosters.
READ MORE: Switzerland set to approve booster shots for all amid surge in infections
A call to unite the Swiss divided by the pandemic
With the national campaign #LiebeSchweiz / # ChèreSuisse, the Swiss Society of Public Utility (SSUP) is calling for cohesion and respect for diversity of opinion during the Covid pandemic.
In what it describes as "the most serious crisis the country has been going through since World War II", the Zurich-based organisation hopes to mend the divisions among “families, friends, and society" through tolerance and constructive, rather than aggressive, discussion.
“We do not have a culture of debate in controversy in Switzerland,” said SSUP’s director, Lukas Niederberger.
He added that he fears a rise in aggression in social media and in the streets, as well as the "interruption of the democratic debate".
Santa Claus is coming to town
Last year, Santa (or more precisely, Sammichlaus) was mostly absent from the pre-Christmas celebrations, stranded by the Covid pandemic.
This year, however he is expected is to make an appearance again on the weekend of December 3rd to 6th, which marks the traditional St. Nicholas festivities.
Swiss-German cantons, where these festivities are commonplace, are coming up with creative ways to resume the tradition safely.
In these regions, for instance, Sammichlaus will visit houses, schools and elderly homes in compliance with 3G rules: Santas must be vaccinated, recovered, or tested.
READ MORE: What are the Covid rules for Switzerland’s Christmas markets?
Revealed: The most popular passwords in Switzerland
The passwords many people in Switzerland choose for their online accounts are a godsend for hackers.
A study of the 200 most popular passwords in Switzerland, carried out by NordPass password manager, shows that the simple sequence of numbers 123456 occupies the first position. In second and third place, there is a long version and a short version of the same variable: 123456789 and 12345.
It is not until the seventh position that letters enter into play: QWERTY, the first six letters at the top left of the keyboard — not exactly a brain teaser for a hacker either.
If you use any of these passwords, it would take a hacker one second to gain access to your account.
You can see other common passwords in Switzerland here.
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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