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All crown cases will be tracked from May 11
Isolate all Covid-19 patients, give them advice and find their closest contacts and quarantine them. And by phone call: this is how contact tracking works. Not all cantons have systematically and centrally contacted all cases of Covid 19 since the pandemic began and have quarantined contact persons. This system should now be practiced everywhere.
Ryanair plans to cut thousands of jobs
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair plans to cut up to 3,000 jobs for pilots and cabin staff due to the crown crisis. Also, most flights will be canceled in late June. The airline does not expect a recovery in customer demand until the summer of 2022.
The airline employs a total of 18,000 people worldwide. Job cuts are expected to take place in the “next three to four months,” Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary told Bloomberg TV. O’Leary himself plans to give up 50 percent of his salary by March 2021.
Keystone
Video chat instead of meeting with citizens
On Tuesday, the president of the National Council, Isabelle Moret (FDP / VD) and the president of the Council of States, Hans Stöckli (SP / BE), talk live with citizens via videoconference. According to parliamentary services, it is “the first in Swiss history”.
A lived democracy lives on the exchange between politics and society, he says in a message. Due to strict distance regulations, the meeting between politics and citizens cannot physically take place at this time. Visits to the extraordinary session are also prohibited.
Therefore, the first live video chat will take place on May 5 in the virtual room. The President of the National Council and the President of the Council of States answer citizens’ questions for one hour.
Anyone interested should register, The link opens in a new window. The live chat will be broadcast on various channels of parliament and will be taken by other stations.
Demonstrate from the window or from the balcony
There was a lot of noise on Friday morning in the green district 4 of Zurich: with whistles, wind instruments or pans, people demonstrated at home for better wages. The union union of the canton of Zurich had called for action.
Some also went to Helvetiaplatz to demonstrate, where the Zurich movement traditionally begins on May 1. Small groups stood at a distance, waving red flags or ringing their bells. Under close observation by the police.
BAG reports 119 positive tests in the last 24 hours
Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein have registered a total of 29,705 laboratory confirmed cases, 119 additional cases in one day. The number of cases is subject to a weekly fluctuation with lower numbers on weekends. The incidence is 346 per 100,000 inhabitants. To date, 1,435 deaths have been associated with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 disease.
Do we have to do without the Olma this year?
The execution of the 78th Olma in St. Gallen from October 8 to 18 is uncertain. Olma Messen’s board of directors wants to decide in early June at the latest whether the eleven-day fair can take place or should be canceled.
It would be the first time in Olma’s almost 80-year history that the fair would be canceled. The Olma attracts more than 350,000 visitors each and has the character of a folk festival. 2020 would be the invited canton of Schaffhausen.
The Federal Council’s decision to ban major events with more than 1,000 people by the end of August leaves the situation open, Olma’s trade fairs write. To give security to the exhibitors, suppliers and special organizers of the fair, the decision must be made no later than June 5.
Point de Presse on the crown situation at 2 p.m.
Federal experts will provide information on the current situation in the crown crisis this afternoon. The press conference begins at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live and on SRF information.
Will participate:
- Daniel Koch, BAG delegate for COVID-19
- Rudolf Hauri, cantonal doctor Zug
- Matthias Egger, President of the National Scientific Task Force COVID-19
- Marcel Salathé, Head of the Group of Experts in Digital Epidemiology
- Josef Widmer, Deputy Director Secretary of State for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
- Markus Näf, Brigadier, VBS Acquisitions Coordinator
- Cornelia Lüthy, Vice Director SEM.
- Barbara Perriard, Chief of Political Rights Section BK
- Matthias Remund, Director of the Federal Sports Office BASPO
Protesters besiege Michigan Parliament
During a demonstration against the crown measures in Michigan, armed protesters stormed the parliament building in the capital Lansing on Thursday. According to the US media, several hundred people gathered in the entrance area of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s headquarters.
Michigan, like other US states. The US has imposed far-reaching exit restrictions in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. However, Democrat Whitmer must enforce provisions against the increasingly bitter opposition of the Republican majority in Parliament. The curfew was initially established until the end of April, but had already been extended until mid-May last week. On Friday, Whitmer signed an executive order to extend the emergency until May 28.
Golf tournament in Crans-Montana canceled
The Omega European Masters for golf professionals in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, cannot take place for the first time since World War II. The tournament has been canceled due to a ban on major events due to the crown virus until the end of August.
The tournament, which was first held in 1939, was on the calendar for the period August 27-30. It would have been the last week that the Federal Council decree still applies during the crown crisis.
The Omega European Masters is one of the European professional tournaments with healthy structures and finances. Other tournaments, some of which are also traditional, are threatened in their existence.
The golf tournament at Crans-Montana in Valais generally attracts thousands of spectators.
Keystone
Crown protection concept for free churches
The association freikirchen.ch (VFG) has presented to the Federal Council a strategy for relaxing measures in the churches. Specifically, churches are unlikely to be able to hold public services until June. The VFG developed the concept of protection in consultation with the Swiss Evangelical Church (EKS) and the Swiss Evangelical Alliance (SEA).
In addition to hygiene measures, such as refraining from shaking hands, the concept also establishes that the “social distance” of two meters is maintained. The entrance and exit of the church is staggered. Spacers are glued to the floor. If local conditions allow, entrances and exits to the community center should be separated.
The dream of the Ice Hockey World Cup is over
The Ice Hockey World Cup will also not take place in Switzerland in 2021. Swiss Ice Hockey will not apply to the IIHF international association for a new appointment next year. In twelve months it will be played in Latvia and Belarus as planned.
The 2020 World Cup, which should have started next Friday in Zurich and Lausanne, had to be canceled in late March due to the crown crisis. Organizers and IIHF President René Fasel ruled out the option of having the World Cup rescheduled in Switzerland in one year.
Swiss organizers rejected this plan after “intensive discussions” and a “comprehensive risk analysis”. The economic risks are too high, Swiss Ice Hockey justified the decision made by the board and management. “After intense clarification, we had to recognize that it is not a realistic scenario to host a World Cup in 2021,” said association president Michael Rindlisbacher.
The use of the army is indisputable in parliament
The army has deployed nearly 5,000 soldiers to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The compromise has strong support in Parliament. The Security Policy Commission of the National Council (SiK) approved it without a vote against. The vote on the helpdesk to support the civil authorities went from 21 to 0 with 3 abstentions, as announced by the parliamentary services. The Council of States unanimously approved the operation the previous day.
This had been ordered by the Federal Council, but must then be approved by Parliament. Council approval is required if more than 2,000 Army members are deployed or if the assignment lasts more than three weeks.
Tens of thousands of jobs are at risk in the tourism industry.
A wave of bankruptcy threatens the Swiss tourism industry due to the crown crisis. The existence of 3,200 companies with 30,000 jobs is threatened. This is the result of a survey that was published on Friday.
This has been carried out by industry organizations in hotels, restaurants, mountain railways or tourism organizations. According to this, almost two thirds of the companies are currently closed. About a quarter estimates that the probability of bankruptcy is greater than 50 percent.
Western Switzerland, Ticino and the Basel region are particularly affected. The surveyed companies estimated that the drop in sales in March exceeded 63 percent, and a drop of almost 92 percent is expected in April.
Almost 80 percent of companies have registered short-term jobs for their employees, 40 percent have taken advantage of a bridge loan. About two-thirds can cover their fixed costs by the end of June.
An extrapolation concludes that the losses for Swiss tourism between March and June could add up to CHF 8.7 billion. Consequently, more than half of the losses are suffered by the catering sector.
Berset’s call for solidarity beyond the pandemic
SP Federal Councilor Alain Berset addressed the population on Twitter on the morning of May 1: “I hope that knowledge of the value of work and solidarity will not be lost again once this crisis is over,” he wrote. the.
In Japan, the emergency could last longer
Japan is considering extending the emergency despite falling infections. A panel of experts believes that current measures to contain the pathogen are still necessary, said the Minister for Economic Regeneration. The state of emergency announced two weeks ago initially lasts until May 6, but now, according to the NHK television network, an extension of about a month is being discussed.
The emergency in Japan means that there is no curfew like in Europe. Citizens of the country are only asked to stay home if possible. To date, around 15,000 infections and 460 deaths have been recorded in Japan, according to official figures. Despite the emergency, so far millions of people have commuted to work because their companies do not offer a home office or there is no other way.
Boeing is raising money
Battered aircraft maker Boeing has managed to break free of the capital market to stay liquid in the Corona crisis. The American aviation giant announced that it had raised $ 25 billion in investor bonds.
It is not currently planned to seek additional funding, including government aid. Debt instruments have terms of 3 to 40 years. The group maintained a low profile on interest rates.
Airbus’ rival is deeply in crisis: The debacle surrounding the 737 Max, the unfortunate plane that was banned after two accidents, made the situation precarious when the crown pandemic nearly stopped air traffic.
Maillard: “A completely unfair situation”
According to Pierre-Yves Maillard, president of the Swiss Trade Union Confederation, the crown crisis has been the most affected by the weakest. For working people with the lowest wages, almost 50 percent work in the short term. Wages would drop further. At the highest wages, only 5 percent are affected by short-term work, Maillard said in an interview with Tamedia newspapers.
It is a completely unfair situation. In order to improve the position of the weakest in society, leverage could be applied to high health insurance premiums. Whether these premiums can be reduced with an economic stimulus program, the SGB is open to discussion.
Brazil: first cities nearby
In view of the increasing number of infections, a judge in Brazil ordered the closure of several cities for the first time.
In São Luís, the capital of the northern state of Maranhão, and in three other cities in the area, all non-essential activities will be suspended for five days from May 5. This is necessary because the 112 public intensive care beds for Covid 19 patients are occupied. The state governor said he would accept the court decision.
While some states ordered restrictions on public life early, right-wing populist president Jair Bolsonaro does not believe that and wants to return to normalcy as quickly as possible. In Brazil, more than 85,000 people are infected with the corona virus, and around 6,000 people have died.
New York funeral investigation
After dozens of decomposing bodies have been found in pickup trucks outside a funeral home in New York, investigations are now underway. Police officers made the horrifying discovery Wednesday after local residents complained of the odor coming from two vehicles parked outside a funeral home in the Brooklyn neighborhood.
Mayor Bill de Blasio described dealing with the dead as “absolutely unacceptable.” The undertaker was obliged to treat people “with dignity”.
The owner of the company told the New York Times that he was completely overwhelmed by the crown pandemic like other colleagues in the city due to the numerous deaths. Since there were already more than 100 bodies in his room, he used the transporters to store the dead: “He had no more space.”
Turkey: ban on going out in 31 cities
In 31 Turkish cities and provinces, another extensive curfew over the weekend has been in effect for three days since midnight due to the crown pandemic. Due to the May 1 holiday on Friday, it begins this Thursday at midnight. It will be canceled on Sunday night. Among other things, the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul and the capital Ankara are affected.
Supermarkets remain open until 2 p.m. Friday local time. During the weekend, bakeries can take out the bread and sell it from the truck in the residential areas. In addition, clinics, pharmacies, and other service providers classified as major remain open. For most people under the age of 20, the chronically ill, and all people over the age of 65, there were prohibitions on going out beforehand. So far, Turkey has given up on longer curfews and across the country so as not to further overload the troubled economy.
