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Starting Monday, restaurants, bars and cafes will be closed for three weeks. There is also a maximum limit of 15 people for events. Gyms, ice rinks, indoor pools, casinos, as well as erotic and leisure facilities will also be closed. Basel health director Lukas Engelberger (CVP) announced this Friday at an online press conference. Institutions for professional sports are excluded, as well as sports facilities in elementary schools and for the alternative sports program in secondary schools.
In contrast to the closing in spring, all shopping malls and stores, as well as businesses such as barber shops and beauty salons, can remain open. According to the economic and social director Christoph Brutschin (SP), the canton has initially focused on the places with the most contacts in a step-by-step process. However, an additional adjustment cannot be ruled out.
“It cannot continue as in the last weeks”
For the moment, company and school canteens, hotel restaurants for guests, food delivery services and take-out until 11.00 p.m. are also excluded from the general closure. Civil society and political events and demonstrations are also unaffected.
The measures initially apply until December 13. “The government is aware that the restrictions are severe. But things cannot continue as they have in recent weeks, ”Engelberger said. But they have not yet given up hope that they can relax again before Christmas.
Cantonal measures are not coordinated with neighboring cantons. Engelberger said they had been informed, but had to decide their own measures.
Basel against the Swiss trend
In Basel-Stadt, the number of coronavirus cases is not decreasing, contrary to the trend in Switzerland. With the incidence of seven days per 100,000 inhabitants, the canton of Basel-Stadt, which was not in a bad position for a long time, has now exceeded the Swiss average, Engelberger said.
The city’s canton reported 110 new infections on Friday and 105 on Thursday. There have been five more deaths from Covid-19 since Tuesday. There are currently 148 people in hospital care due to Covid-19 disease, including three children and adolescents ages 9 to 14. 26 patients require intensive care.
When asked why the curve at Basel-Stadt developed differently than the Swiss average, Engelberger had no clear answer. As part of a statement, he named evasive moves from places that were already familiar with stricter measures. People from the canton of Jura and Alsace came to the relatively still open city of Basel.
Reinforcement of the police presence
In densely populated shopping and nightlife areas, the police presence will be increased to enforce the masking requirement imposed by the Federal Council, Engelberger said.
In view of the restrictive measures, the canton has also expanded aid packages, especially for the restaurant, hotel and tourism sectors, as Brutschin explained. A maximum of 15 million francs is available here. The corresponding applications could be submitted starting next week.
