[ad_1]
Last Thursday, the president of the Grand Council, Edith Saner, appeared at the women’s headquarters in Aarau. In the Grand Council Chamber, 24 candidates met with sitting parliamentarians for an exchange (AZ reported). With this number of visitors, the distance rules in the Grand Council Chamber could be adhered to without any problem, so no special protective measures were necessary.
The situation is different if the entire cantonal parliament with its 140 members met again in Aarau. Today Tuesday, the Grand Council will meet at the Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach, and the next meeting will also take place there on September 15. However, after the autumn holidays, the parliament should return to the canton’s capital, as Saner announced in late July. To this end, the council office was working out a protection concept, it was called at the time. However, how this could look in concrete terms was previously unknown.
Plexiglass barriers were installed in the Bundeshaus for the autumn session, which started yesterday Monday, for 200,000 francs. Each seat of the 200 National Councilors now features a Plexiglas panel on the side and front. In addition, a glass can be folded on both sides.
Plexiglass or masks: decision in a week.
Plexiglas is also an option for the Aarau Grand Council, as Edith Saner says: “We have already obtained offers, the installation of plexiglass barriers in the Aarau Grand Council building would cost around 60,000 francs.” This amount does not include cleaning and does not include subsequent disassembly. “Personally, when I return to Aarau, I tend to find a solution that does not require expensive investments,” says Saner.
Next Tuesday, the conditions for a possible return of the cantonal parliament to Aarau will be discussed in the council office. In addition to Saner and the two vice-presidents, all the leaders of the parliamentary groups of the parties are represented there. What will the president propose? “If everyone agrees that a mask is required, it would be a cheaper option than installing Plexiglas panels,” says Saner. The requirement for a mask was also discussed in the Bundestag building, but the parliamentary service cannot order it.
SVP: save or in principle against masks?
In principle, this also applies in Aargau, as confirmed by Council President Saner. “It is true that there is no explicit legal basis for a mask requirement for members of the Grand Council. But I suppose we could come to an agreement with the group presidents that would stick. ”She has experienced Grand Council members as being very respectful and understanding since the beginning of the crown pandemic, says Saner. So she assumes that “gentlemen’s agreement” would be followed.
Masks for all council members or Plexiglas for 60,000 francs: there is also a third variant. “The continuation of the meetings of the Great Council in the environmental field would also be a possibility”, emphasizes Saner. However, external meetings are associated with costs: between 40,000 and 50,000 francs per meeting day in Spreitenbach.
Especially for the SVP, which is the largest parliamentary group in the Grand Council with 47 representatives, the decision should not be an easy one: Mask requirement and therefore personal responsibility, although the SVP government adviser Jean- Pierre Gallati, are you against it? Or the expensive plexiglass, even though the senior vice president has always called for government spending to be cut?
