The holidays. We are looking forward to the months ahead and hoping for the chance to escape lockdown and head for sunnier, warmer climates, or perhaps we have long awaited family members planning to come visit. In any case it is almost certain that people will have to carry some sort of “corona passport” when entering any country to prove that they have either been vaccinated or have been tested negative. The question now is which corona passport will be the right one? The IATA (International Air Transport Association) representing 290 airlines in 177 countries have developped a digital passport called the “Travel Pass” which they are beginning to roll out, but Swiss, part of the Lufthansa group, are working on a “Common Pass”. If that wasn’t confusing enough BAG (the health department) are currently debating whether Switzerland should join the EU’s “Green Pass” or the World Health Organisation’s “Smart Vaccination Certificate”. Just another bureaucratic headache to sort out ahead of the holidays…
If you wish to acquire Swiss citizenship the rule of thumb is that you should not have applied for social help for the previous three years. At least that is the national rule; however as a federalistic country each canton can decide for themselves and Zug has just joined Uri, Schwyz, Nidwalden, Basel-Land and Thurgau in changing that to 5 years. The SVP party had asked for the rule to be 10 years which would be in line with Bern, Graubünden and Aargau. If the person has a handicap, a serious illness, a noticeable learning difficulty or must look after children and can, therefore, not work full time, they will be exempted from this rule.
It weighs over 19 tonnes and is 40 million years old. During renovation work in the Bruchquartier workers came across a massive boulder made of quarz sand. Instead of destroying it they brought a geologist in who confirmed its age and that it originally came from the Engelberg valley and was probably swept along on a gletscher some 17 000 years ago. The boulder was carefully transported to the Allmend where you can go and look at it and reflect that although it feels like an eternity, this pandemic is but a speck in time.
Once that you are done admiring the boulder, why not head to the Messe Luzern, which today opened a multimedia exhibition entitled “Monet Experience and the Impressionists”. The exhibition which has been shown in Shanghai, Mexico City and Florence will run until the 24th of May. You can find out more here.
