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Francophone Switzerland is reducing the number of cases faster
According to a report by “NZZ am Sonntag”, French-speaking Switzerland is reducing coronavirus numbers faster than German Switzerland. The newspaper is based on new figures that can be found on the website of the federal scientific working group. Consequently, the number of reproductions in Geneva, Jura, Friborg and Valais is the lowest in Switzerland, it was said. Then the other cantons of western Switzerland would follow. This key figure shows how many people a sick person infects on average. The data showed that the measures taken had the expected effect: at the end of October, public facilities such as cinemas, theaters and gyms were closed in French-speaking Switzerland and restaurants had to close shortly thereafter. This last step brought the turnaround, Jura canton doctor Christian Lanz told the newspaper. The so-called R-value is also discussed by the “SonntagsZeitung”. According to the latest ETH figures, the corona measures introduced in recent weeks have achieved their goal: according to the Swiss average, the R-value is now 0.78 and therefore within the target range defined by the federal task force. With Basel, Switzerland has a new hotspot for the coronavirus.
Lukas Engelberger, Director of Health of the Canton of Basel–City says: “We can’t really explain why Basel–Suddenly the city has the highest R-value. We didn’t have a super spreader-MEventilate another local access point. “One reason for the high values is probably that epidemics can spread better in urban areas.tin. “Also, there has likely been a bypass movement in recent weeks. This means, People from the Jura and southern Germany, where stricter measures had been implemented, came to Basel, ”says Engelberger.
SVP wants to abolish the federal task force
According to reports from “SonntagsZeitung” and “SonntagsBlick”, the senior vice president would like to abolish the federal scientific working group. Toggenburg SVP National Councilor Esther Friedli dared the frontal attack this week. At the Economic Commission, he asked to abolish the advisory group or at least change its mandate. “The cacophony of communication by the working group causes great uncertainty in the population and the economy and is shameful,” Friedli told “SonntagsZeitung”. Try to make sure the experts don’t have to take responsibility for their statements. “I come from the hospitality industry and experience the consequences of contradictory statements closely,” he explained in the “SonntagsBlick.” Scientists and experts give their opinion anyway. They can do that too. But not in the official name of a working group that is supposed to advise the government but has no responsibility, ”he said. Friedli’s request was rejected in committee, but she is considering adding a breakthrough at the December session, he said.
Geneva fire brigade must help undertakers
In Geneva, according to a report by “SonntagsBlick”, firefighters are helping due to the numerous deaths from coronavirus among gravediggers. “Compared to the average of previous years, the number of deaths has doubled in November,” Christina Kitsos, a Geneva councilor, told the newspaper. Therefore, firefighters have been helping funeral homes for a few days. According to the information, they drive the hearse and help load the bodies onto the stretchers. “Other municipal employees can also help with the funeral service, such as gardeners to transport the caskets,” said Councilman Kitsos. Now they also work on weekends and on longer shifts, all on a voluntary basis, as the politician emphasized. The city has also hired additional staff and is still looking for reinforcement, it was also said.
Director of University Hospital Zurich demands fixed salaries for doctors
The director of the Zurich University Hospital, Gregor Zünd, joined the discussion about excessive salaries of doctors. “The current rate system is no longer up to date,” he said in an interview with “NZZ am Sonntag.” In the future, Zünd demanded fixed salaries for doctors, although the number of operations should not be in the foreground. “It is not who else operates who should earn more, but who does it particularly well,” he explained. Three members of the hospital board resigned last week. However, Zünd himself sees no reason to resign. “Operations are safe. A new beginning in operational management is not necessary, ”he emphasized to“ NZZ am Sonntag ”.
Less theft due to corona measures
The number of thefts has recently decreased due to coronavirus measures. This was confirmed by Mark Burkhard, president of the conference of cantonal police commanders of “SonntagsZeitung” and “Le Matin Dimanche”. Due to the measures against the coronavirus, people stayed more at home; this has a deterrent effect on thieves, he said. The figures for the canton of Thurgau confirm this. According to his own statements, the police have to go out half the time for raids. From Bern, the cantonal police said there was a “slightly downward trend”. Other cantonal police also reported decreases in robberies, he said. According to Burkhard, the decrease in the number of robberies did not mean that the police had less to do. Rather, the work has changed: now the application of coronavirus measures against other crimes has gained in importance, he told the Sunday newspaper and Le Matin Dimanche.
Tank gun debacle becomes a GPK topic
The purchase of the 400 million Swiss franc mine launcher for the army is, according to the “NZZ am Sonntag”, the subject of the Audit Commission of the National Council (GPK). The GPK subcommittee responsible for the defense department wanted to know how a cascade of problems could arise in the procurement of the new mortar tanks. This was confirmed by the St. Gallen CVP national adviser, Nicolo Paganini, chairman of the sub-commission, to the newspaper. Due to ongoing work, he was unable to comment on it, he said. If the commission determines a need for action, they will report it after their investigations are complete, Paganini told the sheet alone. A report from the Army General Staff, released in late October, indicates numerous deficiencies in the mortar tank.
The demand for housing has increased considerably
According to a report by “SonntagsBlick”, the demand for living space has increased considerably this year. The newspaper has real estate search subscriptions from the main Swiss Internet portals, which have been evaluated by the real estate consultancy Wüest Partner and the market research institute Realmatch360. Demand for large rental apartments and single-family homes literally exploded in 2020. In October, the search for 4.5-bedroom apartments increased 7 percent compared to the previous year; that of the 6.5-bedroom apartments by up to 13 percent. The demand for single-family homes has also risen sharply: in October it increased a record 27 percent compared to the previous year. The assessment also shows where search engines are headed: subscriptions for tourist regions have increased by 59 percent, for agglomeration communities by up to 31 and for rural areas by 27 percent, he said.
30 percent more demand for child pornography
Since the closure of the coronavirus, according to the “NZZ am Sonntag”, the demand for videos and images of child pornography has increased. The newspaper refers to the European police agency Europol, they speak of an increase of 30 percent. In Switzerland, according to the Federal Police Office Fedpol, there was an increase between March and May. In the meantime, however, the perpetrators are not prosecuted. Swiss police authorities had ignored the matter for years and were miles away from the perpetrators, the newspaper quoted investigators as saying. This is also confirmed by an internal report from the Federal Police Office, which is available to “NZZ am Sonntag”. “The phenomenon of pedosexual crime is not fully recognized by all the agencies involved,” the report is quoted.
Despite negative headlines, German pork is in demand
Despite the negative headlines about leading German butcher Tönnies, German pork is currently in high demand in Switzerland, according to the “SonntagsZeitung”. The newspaper cites import figures, which have increased this year. It was around 5,300 tonnes in the first nine months. Around 4,400 tons of this wine from Germany. Compared to the same period in the previous year, the increase in German products is around 34 percent, and compared to the same period in 2018, almost ten times more German pork was imported, he said. From a financial point of view, importing pork from Germany is worth it, as production costs are lower there, he said. A spokesman for the Federal Office for Agriculture told the newspaper that German pork prices were particularly lucrative.
Switzerland has poorly prepared for the second wave
The French-speaking Swiss newspaper “Le Matin Dimanche” had a glimpse of the minutes of the federal coronavirus task force, citing that Switzerland had prepared poorly for a possible second wave of coronavirus in the summer. The federal government reacted too hesitantly, he said. The lack of political support had resulted in no further restrictions and a lack of reliable data on the dynamics of the epidemic. Encouraged by the small number of new Covid-19 cases that had been registered in early June, the federal government again allowed outdoor gatherings with more than 30 people and demonstrations with fewer than 1,000 people on the 22nd of the same month, he said . that. From that moment on, the coronavirus again gained ground, the newspaper continues.
