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235,272 people tested positive for the coronavirus in the United States in the last 24 hours. In Switzerland there were 4,832; in many German-speaking cantons the cases are increasing again. But while the whole world refrains from traveling and stays at home, other rules seem to apply to American rapper Kanye West (43). The former US presidential candidate flies around the world in his private jet to inspect the architecture. Last week he traveled to Graubünden to do this.
The destination of your excursion: the office of the architect Bündner Valerio Olgiati (62). “Kanye West and I have been in contact for months via video telephony and SMS,” explained the star architect to “Bündner Tagblatt”. West contacted him one day and asked for an interview. “It turns out that he is a fan of my work and wants to build the world around him with me.”
There is a general entry ban for Americans.
In reality, West is not allowed to enter Switzerland on a whim. Although the quarantine obligation for US travelers does not apply again until December 14, an entry ban is in effect for third-country nationals for short stays, also for the US.
Kanye West should be “in a situation of dire need and therefore have to depend on entering Switzerland”, according to the directive of the Secretary of State for Migration (SEM) of November 9. Border control can grant entry under special circumstances. For example, if a family member dies in Switzerland, to visit close relatives or to “attend non-postponed business or judicial appointments” that “require personal presence.”
At BLICK’s request, the SEM has not yet responded if one of these difficult cases is present during West’s visit. The course of his stay, which was not exclusively for business, raises doubts.
Singing lesson with Linard Bardill, dinner at the restaurant
Last Friday, West flew to Zurich on a private jet. The architect and musician first met in Flims, GR, where West also stayed. “I immediately had a very real and committed relationship with Kanye West,” revealed Olgiati.
Together they looked at six Olgiati houses, including the study of composer Linard Bardill (64) in Scharans, the Yellow House in Flims, and the Plantahof Auditorium in Landquart. West especially liked the Plantahof building. There, West played a board game with Bardill, and they even sang a song together, “20 Minuten” reports. When singing, a large number of aerosols and droplets are emitted, increasing the risk of infection. Is this what a “dire need situation” looks like?
Saturday night’s plan was a meal at Ilanz GR: the two dined in a traditional house with 15 Gault Millau points. “Today Kanye West visited Casa Casutt. Thank you for visiting us, ”the owners wrote proudly on Instagram. “There were five bodyguards in the place,” explains the restaurant manager, Therese Arpagaus, to “20 Minuten. A bodyguard emphasized how quiet it is to work in the small town of Graubünden. He found it very nice. In America, work is not so relaxed, he told her.
Graubünden imposes a mini blockade
During dinner there was a photo ban, the landlady cannot give any information about what Kanye West ate. Although the restaurant was full, the world star was not recognized. “I guess our clients don’t know Kanye West,” says Arpagaus. Her husband, the owner of the restaurant, found out what the food was like from the well-known guests. “Kanye West personally told my husband that he found the food very good.” West finally left on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the canton of Graubünden has closed all restaurants for two weeks on Friday due to the number of Corona cases. “The situation has gotten worse,” said the district president, Christian Rathgeb, at the news conference. The death toll in the canton has doubled. Crowded hospitals are a big concern. West doesn’t seem to care either. (imh / szm)
During a weekend meeting, Kanye West and Olgiati discussed future projects. The American wants to build a 4,000-square-meter private house in the US state of Wyoming. According to the architect, it should be built ten meters underground and look like a prehistoric site. In the middle of the building, the rapper wants to build a circular courtyard with a diameter of 100 meters in which exotic plants will grow.
In addition, the Bündner is going to build a private house and a private school for 100 children in Los Angeles. In the vicinity of Atlanta, in the US state of Georgia, West also wants to establish a district with 500 houses, a stadium, a museum, a church and an orphanage. “He would like to build a small town with me,” says Olgiati. West had other ideas. “But I don’t know how to do it,” he says of the project. “It is my desire to be very close to all my projects, and I am not tempted to expand my architecture office.”
Next, Olgiati is supposed to visit the musician in his home country and examine the land to build in Wyoming. Then the cooperation can really begin.
