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According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the damage caused by the coronavirus to labor markets is greater than initially assumed. The Geneva-based UN agency announced that the economy will also recover much more slowly by the end of the year.
The loss of working hours in 2020 is “considerably higher” than previously assumed. Compared to 2019, 17 percent fewer hours were worked in the second quarter of this year, corresponding to nearly 500 million jobs. In June, a loss of 400 million jobs was forecast.
The ILO also estimates that the pandemic has so far caused a loss of income of $ 3.5 trillion worldwide, if government aid programs are not taken into account. Although the situation will improve in the second half of the year compared to the first, the outlook has deteriorated significantly since June. According to current estimates, working hours would be destroyed in the fourth quarter by a measure that adds up to 245 million jobs or even significantly more: in June 140 million had been assumed.
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The most pessimistic estimates are the result of the renewed increase in the number of infections worldwide. Furthermore, the damage to less developed countries, where, for example, a home office is not possible, is greater than initially assumed.
2,500 students at Swiss hotel management school in corona quarantine
In Switzerland, an entire bachelor’s program must be quarantined due to around a dozen corona infections. 2,500 students from the renowned EHL hotel management school in Lausanne are affected, as announced by the authorities of the canton of Vaud. According to initial findings, those affected were infected at parties that were held last week before stricter protection measures were introduced. Lessons must continue online, as announced by the management of the technical school.
The EHL is considered one of the best hotel management schools and attracts apprentices from around the world. The total of 3,400 students come from more than 100 countries. In Switzerland, the canton of Vaud, with more than 1,200 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants (as of September 23), is the most affected by the pandemic after Geneva. Both are designated as risk zones by the German authorities, as is the canton of Friborg.
Netanyahu announces a tough blockade
Shortly after the release of record-breaking crown figures, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a tightening of lockdown regulations. The head of government said on Wednesday night in a video message that the already strict blockade that had been in place since last Friday would become a “complete blockade” for two weeks starting next Friday. The head of government did not initially give any details.
According to media reports, the restrictions affect, among other things, prayers and demonstrations. The cabinet has yet to approve the measures. The move takes place shortly before the most important Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur, which begins on Sunday. According to a survey, confidence in Netanyahu’s crown policy has dropped dramatically.
The 70-year-old spoke in the context of lengthy deliberations by the so-called coronavirus cabinet. Possible restrictions on the right to demonstrate were reportedly a major topic in the deliberations, or the combination of such restrictions with restrictions on prayers on Yom Kippur. Netanyahu is said to have insisted. “If we can go out and demonstrate, people can go to the beach and call it a protest,” he said aloud. Jerusalem Post during the session.
There have been protests against Netanyahu for weeks, even near his residence in Jerusalem. The strictly religious in parliament are considered close allies of Netanyahu. The Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that 6,950 new infections had been recorded in 24 hours. There have not yet been so many new cases in one day. For comparison: around nine million people live in Israel. Germany has about nine times as many inhabitants, the last 1,769 new infections were reported there in 24 hours.
More than 13,000 new infections in France
France again registered more than 13,000 new infections. The Ministry of Health announced that there were 13,072 corona cases within 24 hours of 10,008 the day before. In six days, the figure has already surpassed the 13,000 mark three times. A total of 481 141 people were infected with the corona virus.
Health Minister Olivier Véran said that Marseille and the overseas region of Guadeloupe had been declared on “high alert.” In Marseille, all public access facilities will also be closed unless they have introduced a “strict health protocol,” Véran said. Theaters and cinemas are not affected. The objective is that the bars and restaurants in the port city do not have to be closed for more than two weeks.
Lawsuits against Austria over crown outbreak in Ischgl
Tourists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are demanding damages in connection with the spread of the corona virus in the Tyrolean ski resort of Ischgl. The Austrian consumer protection association (VSV) has filed the first civil lawsuits against the Republic of Austria in the Vienna Regional Court, the private organization announced on Wednesday. These are the first test cases, initially not a class action. The demands were made on behalf of individuals. In total, more than 6,000 tourists from Tyrol reported the association as victims. Many of them come from Germany.
The corona outbreak in Ischgl, also known as the “Ibiza of the Alps”, was considered the country’s hotspot and contributed to the spread of the virus across Europe. The virus has likely found the ideal breeding ground for spread, especially in crowded après-ski bars. Hundreds of Austrians and thousands of foreign tourists were infected.
The first case in Ischgl was discovered on March 7, days after Iceland had already warned that tourists had been infected there. The first cases in Austria were reported in late February. Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz finally announced on March 13 an immediate quarantine for Ischgl and the surrounding Paznaun Valley. However, tourists were allowed to leave the resorts, which was highly controversial because it allowed the virus to spread further.
The Tyrolean authorities rejected all the accusations. In view of the knowledge about the virus at that time, appropriate measures were taken. According to the consumer protection association, those responsible reacted too late and possibly gave in to pressure from the tourism sector.
Vienna Opera Ball canceled
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the traditional Vienna Opera Ball, which takes place during the carnival season, cannot be held in 2021. Due to the contagion situation, the Austrian government wants to cancel this Wednesday. “This decision was not easy for us,” Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) told the APA news agency. It would be “irresponsible to hold the ball in the usual way.”
The two government leaders highlighted the importance of the event. However, ultimately, “health protection must take priority” due to the increasing number of infections. The cancellation would not change anything for the time being in the current operations of the State Opera and other theaters. Other traditional Viennese dances had already been canceled.
