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HEALTH

200 francs for every resident: The proposal to save Switzerland’s corona-hit tourism industry

A member of Switzerland’s National Council is proposing a plan which would give every single resident a 200-franc voucher to spend in the country’s ailing tourism industry.

200 francs for every resident: The proposal to save Switzerland's corona-hit tourism industry
Why head to the Med when you can take a splash in Lake Geneva? Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Switzerland’s tourism industry has been one of the hardest hit in the country by the coronavirus crisis. 

To turn things around, a number of proposals have been developed to incentivise Swiss residents to holiday in their own country. 

The centrepiece of the support plan is to give every Swiss resident a 200-franc voucher to be spent in the Swiss tourism or hospitality industries. 

As reported by the NZZ on Tuesday, the Social Democrats hope that the voucher scheme will help out the tourism, culture and leisure industries. 

The vouchers can be used in hotels or with tourism operators, while the money can also go towards restaurants and leisure facilities. The total cost of the voucher scheme will be CHF1.7 billion.

'This won't be a normal summer': How the EU hopes to save the holiday season

Swiss tabloid Blick wrote earlier in May that while the scheme is proposed for summer, the vouchers will remain valid into the winter. 

'Strong incentives are needed'

SP National Councillor Sandra Locher Benguerel, who developed the plan, said it was up to the government to incentivise holidays locally. 

“With freedom of travel restricted, strong incentives are needed for the Swiss population to spend their holidays in their own country,” Locher Benguerel said. 

“The massive decline in foreign clientele should therefore be replaced by local customers.”

Summer in Switzerland: Where will the Swiss be able to go on holiday?

 

Tax breaks for local stays

One proposal put forth by National Councillor Fabio Regazzi (Swiss People’s Party) is to give tax breaks to any Swiss resident who travels in Switzerland. 

The proposal demands that holiday makers be able to deduct the money they spend on vacation within Switzerland, up to the value of CHF5,000. 

“Tourism is suffering and has been hit hardest by the crisis,” Regazzi said. 

“It is urgently necessary to kick start tourism again.”

Regazzi said this was a better option than the voucher scheme as it did not require government to directly fund travel. 

“This makes holidays in Switzerland more attractive without the need for government subsidies.”

 

 

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HEALTH

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

If you just moved to Switzerland (or even if you have lived here for a while), your learning curve about health-related matters in the country may be steep. These sites will help you find the information you need.

The essential Swiss websites you need to use for health matters

Staying healthy is probably one of your top priorities, but doing so in a foreign country is not easy.

That is why having some reliable resources that you can check out and follow will be helpful.

First: The Local

No, we are not doctors, but we have published a number of factual articles over the years about many aspects of healthcare in Switzerland that our readers find helpful.

You can find a compilation of these health-related stories here

Federal Office of Public Health 

Obviously, when it comes to matters of health, the Health Ministry has lots of information that will be relevant to you at one time or another.

Aside from matters of health policy (which is important for all residents of Switzerland), the site also has a regularly updated Infectious Diseases Dashboard to let you know what communicable illnesses are currently circulating in Switzerland — and how to avoid them.

It also provides age-specific health information and recommendations — for instance, for children and teenagers, as well as for the elderly.

Hospital websites

Individual hospitals in your area are good sources of information as well, and many of them are in English.

You can find there general health information, care and treatment options, online emergency room signup, new medical technologies being used, and other patient resources:

Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)

Vaud University Hospital (CHUV)

Zurich University Hospital

Basel University Hospital 

If you live in an area without a university medical centre, your local hospital is also a valuable source of health-related information.

Appointment booking platform

This website is especially useful for people who don’t yet have a doctor in Switzerland but need to set an appointment with one. 

It gives you an option of choosing a specialty and location, and then displays doctor’s names and addresses, background information about them, and which time slots they have available.

You can easily set up an appointment this way.

Your health insurer’s website

This may not be an intuitive choice for impartial information about healthcare but you may be surprised.

For instance, Sanitas insurance site has information about emergency care decisions, and how to void unnecessary medical treatments.

CSS has health information geared specifically to men and women.

Helsana talks about ways to combat stress and sleep problems.

These are just a few examples on what valuable tips you can find on your insurer’s website.

Websites devoted to specific medical conditions

If you seek information about a specific illness — such as treatment options in Switzerland — there are plenty of online resources for that as well.

For instance:

Heart and cardiovascular 

Diabetes 

Osteoporosis 

Mental illness 

General pain 

Other diseases 

Last but not least, while not related to health, these websites will also provide useful information for international residents:

The Swiss websites that can help you save money
 
The most useful website resources to help you get Swiss citizenship 
 
 

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