The Federal Council refrains from commemorating the deaths +++ Berset wants to allow big events in the summer

1pm: The cultural sector demands practical openings without coercion

The cultural sector is demanding clear guidelines from the federal government regarding a possible relaxation of measures against the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the gaps in support and compensation funds for the extensive professional ban should be filled.

Due to the backlog of production, the many postponements and the long wait time for larger events, even in the ideal case, it will take many months to normalize, wrote the Culture am Sonntag task force created by the cultural scene.

Support fund payment processes would have to be streamlined so that money reaches needy cultural workers on time. Several European studies have shown that cultural events are not a source of infection.

The state government must allow what is possible. The criteria for this should be known in the coming days. This is the only way to ensure planning security. The openings should also be designed to be practical. Do not give a compulsion to reopen. Many cultural companies would not be able to cover their costs under relatively restrictive conditions.

12.35 pm.: For the moment, the Federal Council renounces a commemorative act for the victims

For now, the Federal Council has waived an act of remembrance for the nearly 10,000 deaths from the corona pandemic. The state government had addressed the issue of a commemorative event, said Ursula Eggenberger, a spokeswoman for the Federal Chancellery, in front of the “SonntagsBlick.” Addressing the ongoing pandemic is a priority for the Federal Council.

Regional churches want to enter the gap. He is currently preparing behind-the-scenes mourning events for the Easter days. Details are still pending. The Catholic Church wants to hold commemorations for the victims of the pandemic in all dioceses on March 29, as a spokeswoman for the Swiss Episcopal Conference said.

12.15 pm.: France hopes to avoid a new blockade

The director of France’s national health authority assumes the country can avoid a nationwide blockade despite tense corona situations. “A blockade can still be avoided if everyone mobilizes, if everyone makes an effort,” said Jérôme Salomon of the Sunday newspaper “Journal du Dimanche”. France is in the “critical phase of a career”. So far he has been able to buy time, for example, through the night curfew.

The main concern at the moment is the diffusion of the variants. “Their presence means that we have to reach a higher level of herd immunity, that is, 80 percent. Today between 15 and 20 percent of the French population is immune and 5 percent is vaccinated. ”

French Prime Minister Jean Castex had declared an increase in the corona warning level for 20 departments in the country and asked local authorities to examine the increase in corona measures. This also includes the capital, Paris.

11.30am .: Swiss sniffer dogs are supposed to sniff out the corona virus

Dogs can detect the coronavirus with their fine sense of smell. The Geneva University Hospital, together with the Swiss Army and the UN Security Service, have now launched a project to train corona detector dogs, according to the “SonntagsZeitung”, among others.

In the next few days, three dogs will begin their crown training as part of a feasibility study. The point is to test whether the sniffer dogs achieve a reliable result. If the Geneva sniffer dogs confirm the findings from abroad, the dogs could also be used in Switzerland where a source of infection is suspected, for example in schools, businesses or at major events such as sporting events.

11am: Families with school-age children in England get free exams

All families with school-age children in England are required to receive free corona self-assessments from March. The government announced in London on Sunday. According to this, children and their parents, as well as employees in the vicinity of schools, such as school bus drivers, must receive two tests per person per week.

Children in secondary schools must also be tested three times in school at the beginning of school. Then they should also try at home. However, the tests are not mandatory.

The government wants to better control the risk of asymptomatic infections when schools reopen on March 8. So-called lateral flow tests show a result in 30 minutes, but they are not considered very reliable. According to the government, anyone who receives a positive result is required to undergo a second test using the PCR method.

10.20 am .: 110 new infections on Sunday: the number of infections in the canton of Bern is stagnating

In the canton of Bern, 109 new Covid infections were recorded in one day on Sunday, compared with 110 on Saturday. There has been no significant decrease in positive tests for several days.

The test volume was 1,610 tests carried out on Sunday, and 2,198 tests were recorded on Saturday, according to figures published on the Internet for the canton of Bern. Positive cases have not fallen below 100 in the last five days, except for Friday with 95 cases.

On Sunday, however, no new deaths were reported. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 993 people have died as a result of the coronavirus in the canton of Bern. Hospitalization numbers are not updated over the weekend.

9.50 am.: Berset wants to allow important events again

Health Minister Alain Berset has the prospect of further easing of the crown’s measures in the coming months. Cultural and sporting events could quickly resume and even major events could be allowed in summer. Berset communications chief Peter Lauener confirmed this to the “SonntagsZeitung”.

The Department of the Interior will shortly present these proposals to the Federal Council for discussion. The decision must be made in the next few weeks, but not before March 17. Therefore, music fans can look forward to a festive summer. And professional sports leagues could play again in front of a wider audience starting in the summer. But this under strict conditions. Organizers remain skeptical for the time being whether the events will continue to pay off even with such high hurdles.

9.15 am: Protests after “VIP vaccinations” in Argentina

After a scandal over the first vaccines of important personalities (VIP), thousands of people took to the streets of Argentina. In the capital, Buenos Aires, protesters gathered in front of the government headquarters and demanded a fair distribution of the corona vaccine.

The scandal came to light after a journalist reported on the radio that he had already been vaccinated out of sequence thanks to his personal friendship with the Minister of Health, Ginés González García.

Then the minister had to resign. The government has now published a list of 70 people who were reported in violation of the vaccination sequence for immunization, including the 38-year-old Health Minister and former President Eduardo Duhalde, his wife and children.

“They have begun to vaccinate the Friends of Power,” said protester Irene Marcet. “They are stealing someone else’s life.” At the fence of the Casa Rosada government headquarters, protesters placed body bag dummies bearing the names of those vaccinated from across the government. President Alberto Fernández condemned this as an act of barbarism.

8.45am: Emergency approval for Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the US.

With the vaccine from the US company Johnson & Johnson, a third corona vaccine may be used in the US in the future. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency approval for the drug on Saturday (local time). It develops its full effect after the administration of one dose and, unlike the other vaccines used, it does not need to be injected twice. US President Joe Biden spoke of “exciting news for all Americans and an encouraging development in our efforts to end the crisis.”

There are comparatively low barriers to emergency FDA approval. In short, it must be ensured that a drug or vaccine does more than harm. Regular approval is a much longer process.

The data available on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine indicated “that the known and potential benefits of the vaccine outweigh its known and potential risks,” the FDA said. The basis for this is tests with tens of thousands of test subjects in various countries. The emergency approval applies to the use of the active ingredient in people over 18 years of age. Data on the duration of vaccination protection is not yet available, the FDA said. There is also no reliable information on whether vaccinated people transmit the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

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