Coronavirus Central Switzerland – Verkehrshaus awaits “brave families” – News

Saturday May 9: Verkehrshaus director looks forward to reopening

Museums can also receive guests again starting Monday. The largest museum in Central Switzerland has prepared for the opening on Monday, for example with markings on the floor for distance rules or with stations for hand disinfection. However, not everything will be the same as before, says Martin Bütikofer, director of Verkehrshaus. Virtual reality glasses, for example, could not be used: “They cannot be cleaned 150 times a day. They would chemically dissolve. Restrictions are imposed on flight simulators, for example: employees and guests must wear a face mask.

Otherwise, the director is less concerned with distance rules. Visitors could be well distributed in the large area, said Martin Bütikofer. It is much more curious if the guests will come. “We will see if families have the courage to return on Monday.”

Friday, May 8: Schools don’t regulate everything the same way

It is time for school to start again, says Pirmin Hodel, president of the Lucerne School Directors Association. “The joy of being able to start again is greater than the respect for contagion among teachers.” However, particularly among adults, it was important to ensure that distance rules were observed. And: teachers who belong to a risk group would not have to teach “up front”, but would take on tasks in the background.

Less stringent rules apply to children. Younger students can also get closer. The instructions were well received by parents, says Pirmin Hodel, who runs a school in Willisau: “We have 900 children here, but there were only a handful of calls from concerned parents.”

However, not all schools take exactly the same protective measures. For example, there are schools that install more plexiglass panels than others, Pirmin Hodel knows this. “The school administration determines one approach or another, but that is perfectly acceptable.” The breaks are also regulated differently. There are schools where classes take breaks at different times. Others only make sure that children in nearby school buildings are not at the resting place at the same time.

Friday, May 8: many stores felt great solidarity

Many stores can open on Mondays. A glance at Sarnen shows that retailers hope to personally welcome their customers again. But you also felt great solidarity during the forced rest.

Friday, May 8: Indoor pools are reluctant to reopen

For example, Lucerne’s indoor pool at Allmend remains closed, although the city first announced it would reopen on May 11. But then the operators said their goodbyes: Under the current protection concept for indoor and outdoor pools, only 20 people could train in the Allmend indoor pool at the same time. This is not economically viable.

Other municipalities also said that they will initially refrain from opening swimming and bathing facilities. These include the Seewen spa and the indoor swimming pool at Rickenbach in the canton of Schwyz, which remains closed until the summer holidays. In Willisau, Lucerne, indoor and outdoor pools will be closed until further notice.

The Röhrliberg indoor pool in the Zug municipality of Cham is different: it will reopen on May 18, for the time being, however, only for schools, swimming clubs and accredited athletes to train.

Friday, May 8: Relaxation in the Lucerne City Senior Center.

Starting today, close family and relatives can visit residents of senior centers again. Viva Luzern, the operator of the centers, has taken a series of measures to protect them:

• Visits take place in a specially designed visiting room in senior centers and only after an appointment.
• A maximum of two family members is allowed per visit.
• All the people involved in the visit wear a protective mask.
• The minimum distance of two meters applies; for example, hugs and kisses are not possible.
• People with symptoms (cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever / fever, muscle pain, sudden loss of smell or taste) refrain from visiting.

Thursday, May 7: Health insurance companies will contribute to the loss of hospital income.

Central Swiss hospitals have had to give up surgery and treatments in recent weeks to have enough capacity for crown patients. As a result, there is a lack of income and there are holes in the cash register. Hospitals are now also demanding that health insurers be financially obligated. During the Corona period, health insurance companies would have had fewer expenses due to loss of treatment, but could still collect premiums, says Nidwalden Cantonal Hospital, for example. The cantons’ health directors agree.

Health insurance companies now resist that there is still no evidence that spending is lower and that money from premium payers should be protected, says the Santésuisse health insurance association. Therefore, it is not yet clear who has to pay for the loss of income in hospitals, the federal government, the cantons or health insurers.

Wednesday, May 6: the Parliamentary Commission wants to promote tourism in rural areas

Because many Swiss citizens should not be traveling abroad this summer, the Lucerne Cantonal Council Economic Commission sees an opportunity for Lucerne. With an advance, it demands money for marketing campaigns in favor of rural areas in the canton. Holidays in the city of Lucerne should not be announced. The cantonal council will deal with progress in mid-May.

Wednesday May 6: Obwalden speaks 4.4 million emergency aid for the cantonal hospital

There is a gap in the box of the cantonal hospital. The reason: Until April 27, the hospital could only carry out absolutely necessary treatments. In addition, there were extraordinary expenses for protection material. Although the hospital is now gradually starting again, “it cannot be assumed that the earnings situation will improve very quickly,” said the canton of Obwalden. Therefore, to guarantee the liquidity of the hospital, the canton offers immediate aid of a maximum of CHF 4.4 million.

Wednesday, May 6: the Lucerne library sets up the drive-in theater

The Central and University Library of Lucerne (ZHB) wants to prevent that when it reopens on May 11, too many people will go to its locations in the city of Lucerne. For this reason, the storage library in Büron is now setting up a drive-in theater: Readers can pick up their books directly where otherwise only the books are stored and no loans are offered. Everything works electronically and without direct contact between employees and customers. Service places in the city of Lucerne should be reserved for students, whenever possible.

Tuesday May 5: the blockade of public spaces in the city of Lucerne will be lifted from May 11

Since early April, public spaces around the lake basin have been cordoned off in the city of Lucerne. Under the relaxation measures announced by the federal government, the city wants to be carefully reversed. However, distance rules and federal hygiene regulations still need to be fully followed. Therefore, it is important to avoid staying in well-frequented places.

In addition, meetings of more than five people are prohibited. This is not a contradiction, says Mayor Beat Züsli: “People have organized themselves differently and have increasingly spent their free time in the woods or in the neighborhood.” I hoped this would continue. “If the crowds are too big, we would have to undo the closings.”

The city council has also decided that the weekly market can take place again from May 12, 2020 in an adapted way. The Allmend indoor pool and outdoor pools are still closed, however restaurants in the outdoor pools may open. Sports facilities are also available again with restrictions on training operations.

Tuesday, May 5: the Urner Wirtschaft team has started working

The Uri government has spoken for about 1.1 million Swiss francs from the Economic Development Fund to cushion economic difficulties between companies and the self-employed. It has established an economics working group to evaluate applications. This met on April 27, 2020 for their first meeting. Here, the criteria and conditions that qualify for a contribution in support of the Economic Promotion Fund were discussed.

The Uri working group must now draft regulations and submit them to the governing council for approval. Grant applications can be submitted using the form.

Tuesday, May 5: Family members can visit Zug residents again

The canton of Zug relaxes the general ban on visiting nursing homes and nursing homes, which it had issued due to the coronavirus. Institutions may again allow family visits, but larger family visits are not yet possible.

Since older people are particularly at risk from the coronavirus, the visiting ban is only reluctantly relaxed in this first step, the Zug health directorate said. The respective nursing homes regulate the exact requirements for visits according to their spatial requirements.

The measures must guarantee the protection of the residents. For example, they could create meeting areas and set a maximum number of visits and a maximum duration of visits.

The Canton of Zug issued a general ban on visiting nursing homes and nursing homes on March 16 after being the first canton in central Switzerland to report a confirmed case of Corona. The number of new infections has decreased significantly in recent weeks. By Tuesday, 191 people had contracted the virus and eight had died from the effects of an infection.