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All restaurants, gyms and clubs should reopen on March 22, also indoors. Politicians SVP, FDP and Mitte want to push for urgent changes in the law.
Will everything be open again from March 22? A restaurant in Lausanne in May 2020.
Photo: Jean-Christophe Bott (Keystone)
A coalition of politicians SVP, FDP and Mitte wants to disempower the Federal Council in crisis management of the crown. The coalition wants to lift the blockade quickly and completely by changing the law urgently. Restaurants, gyms and all leisure, cultural and entertainment facilities should reopen on March 22, also indoors and regardless of the epidemiological situation. According to the wording of the commission’s decision, the clubs could reopen their doors.
The bourgeois majority in the Health Commission of the National Council decided that surprisingly. The corresponding request came from the SVP. Rather than shutting down operations, the majority of the Commission only wants to control the corona virus with protective concepts. The government could still order a curfew on pickles, but this shouldn’t be before 10 p.m. at the earliest.
The corresponding decisions were clearly made in the commission, with 14 to 10 and 9 votes respectively. This is confirmed by the president of the Commission, Ruth Humbel (center) in a report of “20 minutes”. The SVP, FDP and the majority of the intermediate representatives voted in favor of opening the turbo. The SP, the Greens and the Liberal Greens voted against. This newspaper learned this from committee circles.
The Covid-19 law makes it possible
The decision means that the bourgeois majority of the Commission wants to lift the blockade much more quickly and completely than the Federal Council. This has been decided by a step-by-step procedure. Promise restaurants that they will at least be able to reopen the terraces on April 1, maybe. Sports and cultural facilities should then resume their minimal operations, but only perhaps.
Because the whole opening plan is still very hypothetical; the Federal Council only wants to implement it if the epidemiological situation is good at the end of March. From today’s perspective, this is anything but certain: Some epidemiologists fear that a third wave could have started in late March.
The majority of the commission now wants to lift the blockade as of March 22, regardless of the epidemiological situation. He wants to implement the turbo opening with an urgent change to the Covid-19 law. This law is on Parliament’s agenda in the March session anyway. The SGK now wants to insert two additional paragraphs in the lawthat unconditionally demand the opening of all closed facilities.
“Business closures are no longer proportional.”
The request of the health commission is directed purely formally to the economic commission. The latter decides now whether to refer it to the parliamentary plenary; if the economic commission does not, contrary to expectations, the majority of the health commission could still send your request directly to the full council.
Majority within reach
If the parliamentary groups in the National Council and the Council of States vote the same as their representatives in the Health Commission, the turbo opening will obtain a majority in parliament. The amendment to the law would finally be approved in the final vote on the last day of the session; it would enter into force on the Monday following the session, March 22. That means: all closed businesses could open that day.
The petition was presented by the SVP Bern National Councilor, Albert Rösti. He considers that the resolutions of the Federal Council last Wednesday are “an affront to the hotel industry and fitness centers.” Since the state government does not have the prospect of a (possible) partial opening of these industries until April 1, it denies them any prospect. In view of the smaller number of cases, the closures “are no longer proportional” for Rösti.
The former SVP president also maintains that “currently only about a quarter of intensive care beds are occupied by Covid patients.” This makes it possible to remove the lock now. Rösti is convinced that new virus mutations could also be controlled using protective concepts.
President Humbel warns
The left voted against opening the turbo in commission. She supports the gradual lifting of the blockade announced by the Federal Council, said SP National Counselor Barbara Gysi. “If we open everything at once, we cannot estimate the effects of individual measures on the number of cases,” says Gysi. Jörg Mäder (GLP) criticizes the fact that the majority of the commission is guided by wishes rather than reality. “Just because you want nice weather doesn’t mean it’s automatically nice.”
“The hands of the state government would then be tied.”
Commission chair Ruth Humbel (center) also opposes her committee’s motion. “The decision is incorrect in terms of factual and state policy.” The problem, according to Humbel: According to the Epidemic Law, the Federal Council can adopt measures to combat pandemics in a particular situation. If the opening of restaurants is now absolutely prescribed by another decree, the urgent Covid-19 law, the Federal Council can no longer react if the number of cases must rise again, says Humbel. “The hands of the state government would then be tied.” She was surprised, Humbel said, that Parliament’s health committee, of all people, made such a decision.
A first version of this article incorrectly stated that the SVP had already passed the no-slogan to the Covid 19 law, which will be voted on on June 13. It is true that the SVP delegates have not yet set the motto.
