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For the time being, the Bern government has decided not to close the ski areas in the Canton of Bern. However, the cantonal health director, Pierre Alain Schnegg, calls for the utmost caution when skiing.
Schnegg told a press conference at the Bern city hall on Friday that Spitäler Frutigen-Meiringen-Interlaken (fmi) AG had called for the ski areas in their area to be closed. The staff is exhausted. If there is a further increase in patients, the hospital will deport the patients from outside the canton.
According to Schnegg, the cantonal government takes this “cry for help” very seriously. He immediately surveyed the hospitals to see how the situation was. He then told Rega not to transfer injured people to fmi AG hospitals if possible, but to other hospitals.
The cantonal coordination of Covid patients assured by Inselspital must also take into account the tense situation and stop assigning new intensive care patients to the IMF group hospitals.
The situation could change at any moment, Schnegg said. That is why you must be very careful when skiing. Skiers should always wear a helmet and those who could not have prepared for the season in sporting terms should take special care.
If the hospitals are overloaded, he, Schnegg, will petition the cantonal government to close the ski areas.
Effective immediately, the health department maintains a daily updated list with the number of hospitalized patients who are in Bern hospitals due to Covid and winter sports, so that there is always an up-to-date overview of the entire canton.
Strict controls are announced
The canton of Bern also announced a strict control of protection concepts in winter sports resorts. Thanks to an amendment to the Covid-19 regulation, the cantonal police now also have the authority to close faulty deals immediately, “if a violation does not allow postponement.”
The last few weeks have shown that the canton police, in case of violations of the Corona measures, depend in certain cases to verbally order measures directly on the spot.
Demos with a maximum of 15 people
The Bern government also announced on Friday that rallies could be held between December 19 and January 22, 2021 with a maximum of 15 people. Federal law does not contain restrictions for participants. The government of Bern considers the health risk associated with the demonstrations to be high.
Hence the restriction. For the same reason, the Berne government now prohibits the collection of signatures for cantonal and communal petitions. At the same time, a deadline for cantonal and communal referendums will apply from December 19.
According to the government, this ensures that the population can once again exercise their political rights at the cantonal and communal level without any temporary disadvantage once the Covid restrictions are lifted.
Vaccination as of January 11
According to Pierre Alain Schnegg, vaccination in the canton of Bern will start on January 11, 2021. First in Bern, Thun, Tavannes and Interlaken. This is followed by other vaccination centers. The president of the Berne government thanked the Federal Council for the measures announced on Friday. (sda)
