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The federal government has been planning regional closures for months, that’s what the Sunday papers write.
FDP wants to launch a tax initiative
According to reports from “NZZ am Sonntag” and “Le Matin Dimanche”, the FDP wants to reform the tax system in Switzerland. The women of the FDP want to launch a popular initiative to introduce individual taxes, which has been debated for almost 20 years. They wanted to get married couples to pay taxes separately in the future. “We want to put an exclamation point for something to finally work on this issue,” St. Gallen National Councilor and FDP Women’s Chairperson Susanne Vincenz-Stauffacher told “NZZ am Sonntag.” The current tax system punishes married couples with two incomes and thus makes it difficult for women to engage in professional life, he said. However, it is important that old injustices are not replaced by new ones, the politician warned in both newspapers. And thanks to technical progress and digitization, tax administrations should also be able to handle two tax returns without any major additional effort, Vincenz-Stauffacher was also convinced.
Lower floor local closures
According to the “NZZ am Sonntag,” the federal government has been planning regional coronavirus lockdowns for months. The newspaper is based on the minutes of the conference calls between the Federal Office of Public Health and the doctors of the canton. Thus, in June the federal government drew up “a list of critical infrastructures for possible closures of regions or municipalities as part of a second wave.” Faced with the paper, the federal government stated: “The Federal Office for Civil Protection is examining, in cooperation with other competent bodies, how in the event of a local or regional closure it can be ensured that critical infrastructure operators or systemically important companies can maintain its operations to the extent possible. ” However, it remains open when and how such a lock could be imposed. As confirmed by various newspaper sources, the federal government, the cantons, and the federal scientific working group on coronavirus are working on the so-called winter strategy. This had already been addressed in the summer, he said.
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Mario Gattiker in conversation for the EU negotiators
According to the newspaper “SonntagsZeitung”, the Federal Council wants a new chief negotiator for the EU framework agreement. The newspaper cites its own investigation, according to which chief negotiator Roberto Balzaretti should no longer be sent to Brussels. Last Wednesday, Chancellor Ignazio Cassis had proposed it for the next talks with the EU. The response in the Federal Council was extremely silent, several independent sources told the newspaper. The prevailing view is that a tougher negotiator with the EU is needed. Alternatively, Mario Gattiker, Secretary of State for Migration Affairs, is under discussion, he said.
Former SEM boss Mario Gattiker. Image: sda
8 percent of all hotel companies are threatened with bankruptcy
The air is getting thinner for the Swiss hotel industry in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports from “NZZ am Sonntag” and “Le Matin Dimanche”, only one in four hotels see no risk of bankruptcy. The newspapers refer to a survey by the Hotelleriesuisse association. Consequently, nearly eight percent see a serious risk of having to file for bankruptcy. Hotels in Zurich and Geneva are particularly under threat. Only a quarter of companies see no threat to their own business in the current coronavirus situation. However, about 37 percent of the companies surveyed would be forced to lay off staff in the coming months, and this despite short-term work, he said.
The coronavirus makes the poor even poorer
The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the poverty of the poor, according to the “SonntagsBlick.” The newspaper is based on expert statements. So wages are often no longer enough to live on, economist Isabel Martínez told the newspaper. Furthermore, the reserves of people who have a precarious job are scarce or non-existent. And then there is bad education: “With growing inequality, opportunities for advancement diminish,” said the expert. The newspaper also recalls the queues of people who recently became the center of attention to get food and claimed that 370,000 people in Switzerland would soon be living on welfare.
Asian tourists want to travel again
Tourists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are already starting to book trips to Europe again, according to a report by “SonntagsZeitung.” The newspaper refers to the first reserve figures. According to the tourism analysis portal Triptease, travelers bookings from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to Europe and thus also to Switzerland have increased significantly since the beginning of July. The recovery is surprising: At the lowest point in May, 90 percent fewer Chinese booked a trip to Europe than the previous year. Now the downside is just 37 percent, he told himself. “We are seeing that the Chinese are booking more and more trips to Europe through online platforms and tour operators,” Martin Nydegger, Switzerland’s director of Tourism, confirmed to the newspaper. Employees at the site reported that Chinese tourists and tour operators were very interested in a trip to Switzerland, according to Switzerland Tourism.
Operation Libero supports the corporate responsibility initiative
The “SonntagsBlick” announces that Operation Libero will announce its commitment with a yes to the corporate responsibility initiative this Sunday. “Globalization has improved the lives of many people, but at the same time it requires fair rules of the game,” explained co-chairman Stefan Manser-Egli to the newspaper. He was also offended by the FDP posters, which suggested that a company would be liable to its last supplier if the latter were guilty of something. Manser-Egli also stated that the organization wanted to clarify the details of the initiative. Federal Counsel and FDP Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter also criticized the corporate responsibility initiative in an interview with “SonntagsBlick” because of its new liability provisions. He described the fact that under Swiss law, commodity companies should be held accountable for the misconduct of their subsidiaries abroad as a very colonial view.
The initiators of the corporate responsibility initiative are supported by Operation Libero. Photo: trapezoidal
Emergencies in adolescent psychiatry at their peak
The coronavirus pandemic is hitting the psyche of many young people, according to the “SonntagsZeitung”. The child and adolescent psychiatry clinic at the Zurich University Hospital and the Aargau Psychiatric Services have never had as many emergencies as this year, the newspaper writes. In particular, the number of patients who were injured, suffered depression and committed suicide has increased. The newspaper also cites a study that found that a quarter of adolescents and young adults suffered from symptoms that suggest a mental disorder.
Flu vaccination should be done in two stages
According to the “NZZ am Sonntag”, vaccination against influenza in Switzerland will be carried out in two stages this year. The federal government must make a two-stage approach acceptable to the population because if there is a greater need, there is not enough vaccine immediately available for everyone. Manufacturers regularly delivered around 1.2 million cans to hospitals, pharmacies and doctors on the open market. The federal government has insured another 500,000 cans through contracts. “However, these can only be delivered at the end of November,” the Federal Office of Public Health BAG wrote to the newspaper about it. According to the newspaper, part of the delay is explained by disputes between various federal offices and the therapeutic products authority Swissmedic. The differences had prevented an order for a vaccine in the spring, he said.
Winter is flu time. Image: shutterstock.com
French-speaking Swiss adhere to quarantine regulations
According to the French-speaking Swiss daily “Le Matin Dimache”, the French-speaking cantons sanction very few violations of the coronavirus quarantine, which was imposed upon returning from a trip to a risk zone. The cantons of Vaud, Wallis, Friborg and Bern had never done this before. In the canton of Neuchâtel, only one case has been brought to court and in Geneva there are only a little over 10 criminal charges. Furthermore, only one case against four defendants is pending in the Jura, he said. The cantons of Vaud, Valais and Freiburg told the newspaper that they would prefer the warning to retaliation. And in Bern, “telephone or on-site checks show that Bernese are complying with the measure,” the canton’s health department told the newspaper. In the German-speaking part of Switzerland, it doesn’t look much different overall, the newspaper continued. According to the latest information, around 24,000 people are currently under quarantine in Switzerland. (sda)
