Happy New Year! The LivingIn and LiLi Centre team hope that you had a relaxing and joyful festive season and are looking at 2022 with quiet optimism.
The year began with the mildest temperatures ever recorded for this time of year. Snow fans rest assured that temperatures will go back to their normal freezing temperatures by the middle of this week and we will be having snow in low altitudes again.
School begins today in 11 cantons (including Lucerne) who decided to not postpone the start because of the Omicron variant. In Lucerne, masks continue to be mandatory from the 1st year of primary but testing remains on a voluntary basis.
The government is forecasting that we will reach 30 000 daily cases of Covid-19 in the coming weeks. Seven cantons including Zug (but not Lucerne) are already shortening the quarantine time to 7 days instead of 10. This in order to prevent services from collapsing due to a shortage of personel. Personel in care are already feeling the pinch as are several services (such as taxis) in various parts of the country.
Finally, as of this year these new rules will come into effect. As of January 1st, stamps will cost more: 90 rappen for a B post letter, and 1.10 francs for an A post letter. Croatian are now allowed the full freedom of movement in Switzerland. E-bikers will need to turn their lights on even during the day as of this spring, and same sex marriages will be allowed as of July 1st.
Wishing you a lovely start to the week.
