Covid Measures Extended; Swiss Cities Top Expense Poll; Unemployment Edges Up In Basel

News For 7 December 2021

Responding to the headlines related to the spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus, and a worrying increase in the number of positive cases, the federal government responded this week by extending new measures to combat the spread of the virus and associated disease. Starting yesterday, the new measures will be reviewed on the 24th of January.  Until then, all indoor events will require attendees to have a valid Covid Certificate, irrespective of the number of participants.  Outdoor events will also require a certificate if more than 300 people are in attendance.  In addition, to a certificate requirement, all indoor public activities and events will require the use of a mask.  While sitting at restaurants and bars, patrons are exempted.  Quarantine rules with regard to travel have also been scrapped, in favor of PCR testing before AND after arrival. Quarantine and the new testing rules also do not apply to those living in border regions of Switzerland, including Basel.  A new update of the Covid App will also assist with administering the 2G rules which affect who can attend live events, restaurants and bars.

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The Economist magazine released its list of the most expensive cities to live in. According to their survey, which samples the cost of 200 different goods in each participating city, the Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva are both in the top 10, with Zurich in the #4 and Geneva in the #7 position.  In addition, the average rise in the cost of sample goods in the top 10 cities was 3.5% last year - the biggest gain in a decade, and largely attributable to global supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic.

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The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs released the latest unemployment figures for Switzerland, including those for Basel Stadt.  Overall, the unemployment rate in the canton is now at 3.3%, a rise of 0.1% during the same period last year.  Nationwide, the unemployment rate is 2.5%, unchanged from 2020, and slightly lower than the rate in Basel.  There was also an increase in the number of job seekers to 5563 people, with the number of published job vacancies tallied at 1536.