Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Zurich offers free Covid-19 tests, again; Swiss trains are more punctual in some regions than others; and other news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Zurich re-introduces free Covid tests
Since January 2023, only medically ordered Covid-19 tests have been free of charge.
However, as new Omicron variants are circulating in Switzerland, Zurich is offering free tests to any city resident who has symptoms or has been in contact with infected people, municipal authorities announced on Monday.
The tests are carried out at the Center for Travel Medicine at the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, A maximum of 50 tests, both antigen and PCR, are available each day.
Swiss trains are more punctual than before – except in two regions
Punctuality rate for trains is higher than ever, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said on Monday.
However, on-time arrivals and departures are better in the German than French-speaking regions.
Nearly one in 10 trains are more than three minutes late in the the French-speaking parts —9.5 percent versus 5.9 percent nationally.
This difference comes from the reduced time margin between stops in French-speaking Switzerland, according to SBB spokesperson Frédéric Revaz.
“We have kept the same basic schedule structure for 20 years. Additional trains have been put into service and the time reserve is no longer sufficient,” he said. “Also, the number of travelers has continued to increase, which requires more time for connections.”
To solve this problem, the SBB plans to increase the number of trains as well as the length of the journeys, Revaz said.
READ ALSO: How cuts to train services in French-speaking Switzerland will hit travellers
Abra cadabra: This is why chemistry will not make you wealthier
An entrepreneur from Fribourg lost 27,000 francs because he was taken in by a fraudster who had promised to increase his money with a chemical liquid, the cantonal police announced on Monday.
The alleged offender, a Cameroonian living in Geneva, is in custody. It is believed his accomplices are perpetrating the same fraud in other parts of Switzerland, as well as in France.
According to the police, the so-called "wash-wash" trick is a scam used primarily by perpetrators from African countries.
"Easy money with no risk of loss is an illusion. No one has the ability to chemically duplicate banknotes," the police stated what should be obvious, but apparently isn’t.
Swiss Post issues Lord of the Rings stamps
If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rinds trilogy, you will be happy to know Swiss Post has issued four special postage stamps for the the 50th anniversary of the death of the British fantasy author.
The Shire, Gandalf, Smaug and Argonath: @swisspost’s latest stamp designs take us right into the fantasy world of “The Lord of the Rings”. ✨https://t.co/tJzRlN80Jl
— Swiss Post | News (@swisspostnews_e) August 30, 2023
Four designs featuring The Shire, Gandalf, Smaug and Argonath are available in post offices and online from this week, with stamps featuring more characters to be available from September 7th.
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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Zurich re-introduces free Covid tests
Since January 2023, only medically ordered Covid-19 tests have been free of charge.
However, as new Omicron variants are circulating in Switzerland, Zurich is offering free tests to any city resident who has symptoms or has been in contact with infected people, municipal authorities announced on Monday.
The tests are carried out at the Center for Travel Medicine at the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, A maximum of 50 tests, both antigen and PCR, are available each day.
Swiss trains are more punctual than before – except in two regions
Punctuality rate for trains is higher than ever, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said on Monday.
However, on-time arrivals and departures are better in the German than French-speaking regions.
Nearly one in 10 trains are more than three minutes late in the the French-speaking parts —9.5 percent versus 5.9 percent nationally.
This difference comes from the reduced time margin between stops in French-speaking Switzerland, according to SBB spokesperson Frédéric Revaz.
“We have kept the same basic schedule structure for 20 years. Additional trains have been put into service and the time reserve is no longer sufficient,” he said. “Also, the number of travelers has continued to increase, which requires more time for connections.”
To solve this problem, the SBB plans to increase the number of trains as well as the length of the journeys, Revaz said.
READ ALSO: How cuts to train services in French-speaking Switzerland will hit travellers
Abra cadabra: This is why chemistry will not make you wealthier
An entrepreneur from Fribourg lost 27,000 francs because he was taken in by a fraudster who had promised to increase his money with a chemical liquid, the cantonal police announced on Monday.
The alleged offender, a Cameroonian living in Geneva, is in custody. It is believed his accomplices are perpetrating the same fraud in other parts of Switzerland, as well as in France.
According to the police, the so-called "wash-wash" trick is a scam used primarily by perpetrators from African countries.
"Easy money with no risk of loss is an illusion. No one has the ability to chemically duplicate banknotes," the police stated what should be obvious, but apparently isn’t.
Swiss Post issues Lord of the Rings stamps
If you are a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rinds trilogy, you will be happy to know Swiss Post has issued four special postage stamps for the the 50th anniversary of the death of the British fantasy author.
The Shire, Gandalf, Smaug and Argonath: @swisspost’s latest stamp designs take us right into the fantasy world of “The Lord of the Rings”. ✨https://t.co/tJzRlN80Jl
— Swiss Post | News (@swisspostnews_e) August 30, 2023
Four designs featuring The Shire, Gandalf, Smaug and Argonath are available in post offices and online from this week, with stamps featuring more characters to be available from September 7th.
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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