Anyone with a nursing qualification could be conscripted into the fight against the coronavirus in a Swiss region preparing for staff shortages.
The scattergun search for staff comes with the fast-spreading Omicron variant causing 95 per cent of infections in Grisons and expected to stretch hospitals.
Switzerland is enduring record infection numbers, like much of Europe, and moved on Wednesday to shorten the isolation period from 10 days to five for people who test positive.
In Grisons, authorities went further by ordering anyone with certain medical qualifications to make themselves known if they are not already practising. The list includes basic apprenticeships, master’s degrees and doctorates in nursing.
Once a list of qualified nurses is compiled, people in this category may be ordered into action to ease shortages, said a statement from the canton.
The canton cited a section of Swiss law which allows authorities to call people up to fight infectious diseases. It did not say if there would be a penalty for keeping quiet.
“In the current exceptional circumstances, it is unavoidable that health and care facilities will have to deal with personnel shortages,” it said.
“We have to assume that the strong increase in coronavirus cases will push medical care and nursing capacity to their limits.”
The canton said testing capacity was similarly strained, with about one in 20 of its residents in isolation as of Monday.
The potential call-up does not apply to people over 65 or with health conditions such as diabetes that would put them at higher risk from the virus.
It echoes a request by British authorities, dealing with staff shortages compounded by Brexit, for Germans with a certain type of driving licence to consider becoming hauliers.
Elsewhere, an Austrian energy company said last month that some of its staff would be moved to on-site dormitories to stop Omicron-related absences from causing power cuts.
The Swiss federal council said it would “act swiftly” with further measures if needed, such as closing shops or capping attendance at public events.
Although the Omicron variant has milder effects, a high number of cases is still expected to cause a surge in hospital admissions.
“The epidemiological situation is critical and remains difficult to assess,” the Swiss government said.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
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Read more about the coronavirus
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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