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WHAT CHANGES IN SWITZERLAND

Everything that changes in Switzerland in November 2023

From health insurance deadline to getting a shot in the arm, we have put together the roundup of the key changes and events in Switzerland in November 2023.

Published: 23 October 2023 14:46 CEST
Updated: 1 November 2023 09:00 CET
Everything that changes in Switzerland in November 2023
November is a month for flu shots. Image by LuAnn Hunt from Pixabay

November 1st: Religious holiday

The All Saints’ Day, which commemorates all Christian saints and martyrs, is a public holiday in all but 11 cantons: Aargau, Basel-Country, Basel-City, Bern, Geneva, Graubünden, Neuchâtel, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Vaud, and Zurich.

READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland is November 1st a public holiday?

 
 
November 1st to November 30th: Quit smoking!
 
You don’t have to wait until November to give up this habit, (the sooner the better), but November is earmarked in Switzerland as a “Month Without Tobacco,” so it is a good time to quit once and for all.

The national online campaign, promoted by the Tobacco Prevention Fund, aims to “offer a tool to help the many people who wish to free themselves from cigarettes”.

In Switzerland, 27 percent of the population smoke, exposing themselves to the higher risk of respiratory and cardiovascular problems, among other medical conditions.

More information about the November campaign can be found here.

November 1st: Free access to official government documents 

New amendments to the Transparency Act will make it possible for members of the public to view the documents of federal administration

The access will be free of charge, except in cases where the request to see the documents entails “a significant additional work on the part of the authorities,” the government said.

 
November 1st: New guidelines for blood donation

 
From this day, blood donations can be made regardless of sexual orientation.
In addition, men have who have had sexual relations with other men will no longer have to wait a year before donating blood.

The rule restricting gay men from donating blood first went into effect in the midst of the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s. 

The new rule is based “on an updated risk assessment of various sexual behaviours and takes due account of the epidemiological situation in Switzerland, as well as data from other countries that have already adapted their donation criteria accordingly,” the government pointed out.

READ ALSO: Switzerland to clear way for gay and bisexual men to donate blood.
 
From November 4th: Some ski resorts set to open

Even though snow may be scarce after an extremely hot summer, a number of high-altitude resorts will inaugurate their ski season during the month of November. Among them are:

  • Engelberg: November 4th
  • Davos: November 10th
  • Andermatt, Crans-Montana, and Grindelwald: mid-November
  • Celerina and Klosters: November 25th

November 10th: Flu shots begin

The National Flu Vaccination Day will take place on November 10th, kicking off vaccinations, along with an awareness campaign about the importance of immunising against this contagious disease, especially for older people and those with chronic illnesses.

The Federal Vaccinations Commission and the Federal Office of Public Health recommend the jabs for people in the following categories:

Anyone aged 65 or over
Children and adult aged six months and over with certain chronic conditions or low immunity
Pregnant women
Children aged six months and over who were born prematurely

New this year, shots are also recommended for people who have regular contact with poultry or wild birds. This is intended to prevent  contracting an avian flu virus and a human flu virus at the same time.

From November 16th: Christmas markets

Yes, it’s ‘this’ time of the year again.

Though Christmas is still weeks away (and most holiday markets don’t open until the beginning of December), some will be welcoming visitors already from November:

  • November 16th: Geneva
  • November 17th: Lausanne
  • November 23rd: Montreux, Basel, Zurich, and Zug
  • November 30th: Lugano

November 30th: Health insurance deadline

This is also is an important month for people who have a compulsory health insurance KVG / LaMal (which is practically everyone in Switzerland), as the 30th is the deadline to cancel your current plan and switch to another one in 2024 — if that’s what you would like to do.

Premiums for next year will increase by 8.7 percent on average in 2023,

By now, you  have received a letter from your insurance company, notifying you of the premium for your health insurance for 2024 — by law, carriers must announce the new rates to their clients no later than October 31st.

If you do decide to  switch to another provider, or remain with your current carrier but perhaps make changes to your policy — for instance, raise or lower your co-pay deductible — you must do so before the end of this month.

Throughout the month

Novembers are typically not the best months weather-wise. 

It can be grey, cold and wet, but don’t let that dampen your spirits, especially as there are plenty of things to do and enjoy:

READ ALSO: 10 events in Switzerland you shouldn’t miss this November

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN SWITZERLAND

Everything that changes in Switzerland in July 2024

From price hikes to disrupted train travel, this is what you can expect in Switzerland in July 2024.

Published: 21 June 2024 14:34 CEST
Updated: 25 June 2024 19:54 CEST
Everything that changes in Switzerland in July 2024

July is a traditional holiday month in Switzerland and much of the country comes to a standstill (the same way as Italy and France do in August).

The government is also on a break, so political life slows down as well.

Additionally, a number of offices work on a reduced schedule, so it may seem that nothing at all happens in the country this month, but in fact quite a few changes, and other events, are underway:

July 1st: Legal definition of ‘rape’ is changed

The new criminal law on sexual matters, to go into force on July 1st, will introduce a new definition of sexual violence: ‘No is no.’

This is a reform of a longstanding legislation, which has a much narrower definition of what constitutes rape.

For instance, current law requires that penetration takes place and that victim shows resistance for the act to qualify as sexual violence.

Under the new rule, however, participants need to agree in words or clearly demonstrate they want to engage in sexual activity.

If this condition is not fulfilled, the act will be considered as taking place against the person’s wishes, and thus be a criminal offence.

Also, to be considered as sexual assault, the actual penetration no longer needs to occur.

July 1st: Price of Swiss milk to go up

You will have to pay 3 cents more for a litre of milk — an increase which is meant to bring some financial relief to Swiss dairy farmers.

But only the milk intended for drinking will become more expensive; the product which is used for cheese production will not be impacted by the price hike. 

July 1st: Cost of certain medications will increase

Swiss consumers pay significantly more for their medicines than those in neighbouring European countries. 

From July 1st,  inexpensive medicines whose factory price is less than, or equal to, 15 francs, will become more expensive. 

This change will affect more than half of medications currently being sold in Switzerland.

As a result of this move, “additional costs of several hundred million will be passed on to patients,” according to Intergenrika, which represents generic drug manufacturers in Switzerland. 

In a nutshell, consumers will pay slightly lower prices for medicines that were previously more expensive, but will also end up paying more  for those that are currently cheaper – like generics.

July 1st: SBB will change public announcements concerning suicides on train tracks

About 112 people throw themselves under moving trains each year in Switzerland.

When that happens, and the train stops midway, the public system announcement over loud speakers in the train and at all stations impacted by the delay, cites “personal accident” as a reason for the disruption.

Everyone knows, however, that this is a code word for suicide, and such announcements upset commuters.

For this reason, Swiss national rail company, SBB,  said that from July 1st, “personal accident” will be replaced by a more neutral “event linked to an external cause” — which will cover all disruptions, and not just suicides. 

July 7th: Assistance system in cars

Some safety-relevant assistants will soon be mandatory in Swiss cars.

In line with the EU, every newly registered vehicle in Switzerland must have certain systems from July 7th, 2024. However, there is no obligation to retrofit older vehicles.

For example, an emergency braking assistant must now be installed. This constantly monitors what is happening in front of the vehicle and automatically initiates emergency braking if an obstacle is detected. This can either avoid a collision altogether or at least reduce its severity.

In the future, cars will also support the person at the wheel when reversing. Warning sounds and/or reversing cameras should make obstacles or people behind the vehicle quickly recognisable.

More price hikes: Swisscom’s new ‘package’ to become more expensive

From July 24th, Switzerland’s largest telecom will abandon its inOne Home package, which includes the telephone, Internet and television.
It will be replaced by a new service called Basic Home. But as it offers a high speed internet of 50 Mbps instead of the current 10 Mbps, the cost of the subscription will be higher as well: it will increase from 50 francs a month right now to 59.90 francs.  

The transition to the new package will be done automatically, so anyone who doesn’t want to pay higher subscription price should notify Swisscom as soon as possible.

July travel news: international trains are likely to be unreliable

If you’re planning to go abroad by train this summer, arm yourself with patience.

The reason is the abundance of construction sites across Europe, which slow down, or disrupt altogether, the train schedule.

In Switzerland, railroad maintenance work is carried out at night in order not to disturb the daytime timetable. Some neighbouring countries, however, “have decided to completely close train lines for the duration of the works”, Swiss media reports.

As a result, train travel to and from Switzerland will be chaotic amid the summer holiday rush.

You can see were in Europe train travel will be disrupted the most:

READ ALSO: Why you should not rely on trains to and from Switzerland this summer 

Also:

Culture!

There are plenty of festivals, concerts and other events taking place all over Switzerland in July.

You can see them here:

READ ALSO: 7 unmissable events in Switzerland this July

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