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Virtual inauguration of the new president of the United States.
In light of the pandemic, much of Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremonies for the new president of the United States will be held virtually. Biden will take the royal oath on January 20 on the steps of the Capitol, the responsible committee announced. However, the celebration and the traditional parade that followed would be modified. The committee asks not to travel to Washington for the ceremony this time.
Legend:
New President Biden will take the oath live in front of the Capitol, but only with a few spectators.
Reuters
Vaccinations are starting, but vaccination skepticism is increasing in France
While in France, as in other countries, vaccination campaigns against the Covid19 virus start slowly, distrust of the vaccine and vaccines in general is growing.
Strict rules of the crown approved by parliament
The Solothurn parliament is the only parliament in Switzerland that can approve or reject the government’s crown ordinances. There were many criticisms in the debate. Do tennis centers have to be closed? And couldn’t more people be admitted to religious services? André Wyss (EVP): “Hardly anyone understands why more people are allowed to enter a gondola than a church in Solothurn.” The SP, on the other hand, called for a blockade to avoid the collapse of the health system.
Parliament finally approved the government’s emergency decree. Meanwhile, health director Susanne Schaffner made clear: “The government views the current ordinance as the bare minimum. If the Federal Council does not take stricter measures on Friday, we will be forced to go one step further.
Rapid tests in nursing homes in Basel
Before going to work, a quick test that works similar to a pregnancy test and quickly shows whether you have been infected with corona or not. At a nursing home in Basel, employees were able to get tested daily for several weeks.
Seven infected people were found in these rapid tests. The cantonal doctor is convinced of the procedure and wants to recommend the model to others.
Schools close earlier in Schaffhausen
Due to the pandemic, the canton of Schaffhausen closes its schools for the entire Christmas week and not on December 24. The reason is the constant high number of corona cases.
The goal of early school closings is to reduce the number of corona cases before the holidays and also keep them low during the holidays, as the governing council announced Tuesday. The last day of school will be Friday, December 18th. Classes December 21-23 will not run as planned.
The regulation applies to kindergarten, primary school, and levels I and II of secondary school, including vocational schools, canton schools and higher technical schools.
Basel-Stadt extends closure
The canton of Basel-Stadt extends its mini-closure with the general closure of restaurants and leisure facilities until January 22. The government is also calling for the new tightening promised by the Federal Council to be implemented this week.
The epidemiological situation has improved slightly, but has remained “demanding”, the reason is said. In addition to the new protection measures ordered by the federal government last Friday, prostitution is now prohibited in the canton of Basel-Stadt. The partial closure has been in effect in Basel-Stadt since November 23.
Legend:
Restaurants and leisure facilities in Basel-Stadt will be closed until 22 January.
Keystone
Schoolchildren in Glarus early for the Christmas holidays?
The Glarus government is checking whether schools should enter the Christmas break on December 19, instead of December 24. The decision must be made on Thursday, as the government writes in a message. The Glarus government has also decided that the requirement for masks at higher levels will be extended to all areas. Until now, the classrooms – with few exceptions – were exempt from the obligation to wear a mask.
Graubünden extends restaurant closures
The partial closure in the canton of Graubünden will last five days until December 22. The Graubünden government announced it today. The objective is to get the numbers in the canton to drop so much that from the 23rd the restaurants can even open until 11 at night and the high-turnover Christmas holidays can be used in the most efficient way possible.
The government does not close the ski areas. “Closing the ski areas doesn’t help,” said Chief Financial Officer Marcus Caduff. “People come anyway and then go sledding or off the track and they can have accidents there too.” However, if the situation worsened, the government would consider further measures.
Legend:
The partial closure in Graubünden is ongoing. The hotels are closed, but the ski areas are still open.
Keystone
The press conference ended
The press conference at the specialist level with federal experts has ended. Thank you for your attention and we will continue to report the latest on the corona crisis on the live indicator.
Close accident-prone slopes
The mountain cantons are looking for alternative capacities in the lowlands for people who have had an accident while skiing. A journalist asks if there is capacity for it. The Canton Hauri doctor says that the problem could be seriously injured in particular, such as people with head injuries. There may be a lack of capacity for these. “Maybe that’s why we should close the sections especially accident prone for winter sports enthusiasts. You know where the most serious injuries occur. “
But, in principle, it could not be the concept of relocating the wounded to the lowlands. The capabilities would have to be available locally.
Do rapid tests before Christmas make sense?
Rapid tests before Christmas: “I would not take additional risks due to the possibility of a rapid test,” says Ackermann. The most important message is: “You protect your parents and grandparents by avoiding close contact. Rapid tests could help find out if he is already infected. “He himself will avoid having close contact with his father at Christmas and meeting him outside.
You shouldn’t feel safe because of a quick test, says Mathys. “A rapid test can be an additional indication,” says Mathys, but all other measurements should not be thrown away because of a negative rapid test, which could also be a false negative. “A quick test is just a snapshot. He could still come into contact with the virus later. “
How can you get people back up?
Many people feel insecure and confused. What does it take to get people back up, a journalist wants to know. The head of the task force, Ackermann, says that, on the one hand, we need clear signals and messages. On the other hand, the authorities have to show a perspective: “We have to show people who are being hit hard by the pandemic that there is a perspective. For example, in just a few months, thanks to vaccines, for example, there can be significant relaxation. “
Is there a chaos of official information?
Many people are confused, the new measures come on the table almost every day, according to a journalist. What do you think of the accusation that the authorities caused chaos in the communication? Mathys can understand these people. “I agree with you in that regard. You no longer know what exactly applies where. Sometimes I don’t even realize what applies in the cantons when I cross a border. “But he doubts that it is a chaos of official information.” There is a canton system in Switzerland, “says Hauri. But in the In the future, it is necessary to consider the extent to which such decentralized communications might no longer be useful.
Do the task force, FOPH and cantonal doctors support closing stores as they did in the spring?
Ackermann clearly states that it is clear to the task force that strict measures, similar to the spring ones, are now needed. According to Mathys, the BAG is also clear that more measures are now needed to relieve hospitals. But politicians have to decide what measures they are exactly.
Canton’s doctor, Hauri, sees it exactly the same as Mathys: clear measures and closures are needed now; whether it has to be a full shutdown is also up to the politicians.
Complicated store opening hours in ski resorts
A question from the audience concerns the ban on Sunday sales in holiday villages. Stores are closed December 25-27, so there could be a lot of rush on December 28. Wouldn’t it make more sense to leave the stores open to avoid a rush? “Sunday’s closing makes sense from a Swiss perspective,” says Mathys. The cantons are called upon to implement the necessary protection concepts in these areas as well. “It will be a challenge. Now we have to wait and see what the Federal Council will decide on Friday.”
Are intensive care units really on edge?
At the request of a journalist, Andreas Stettbacher re-evaluates free beds in hospitals. “There are very strong regional differences. The numbers are also changing rapidly, as hospitals are always trying to create new capabilities immediately. “The goal is to never have to tap into the last 20 percent of the reserve if possible.” Because then the staff is extremely stressed. “
What would you do as a politician today, Mr Ackermann?
A journalist asks what Martin Ackermann would do today if he imagined himself to be a Swiss politician. It depends on how much decision-making power you have, says Ackermann. In Switzerland, these decisions would not be made alone. But: “If I could make a decision in favor of the country today, I would take far-reaching measures as soon as possible: closing restaurants, closing unnecessary stores, strict instructions to work from home.”
Does the task force call for the closure of schools?
Ackermann emphasizes: “We never ask for anything, we only make our scientific findings available.” Ackermann then says that from a task force point of view, it would make sense to keep schools closed for a time after the holidays so that infections from the holidays are not transmitted to schools.
Taskforce wants large-scale closures
Berset said last week that it wanted to avoid a shutdown at all costs. Experts said today, however, that this could not be avoided, summarized one journalist. If the task force recommends a closure, they want to know about it. “In our opinion, very strong measures and large-scale closures are needed,” says Martin Ackermann. “On vacation, we fear an increase in close contacts and more mobility. From a scientific point of view, every day counts. “
Different business scenarios
Eric Scheidegger, head of the Economic Policy Directorate of the Secretary of State for the Economy (Seco) is speaking now. La Seco published its new economic perspectives today. There are different scenarios. “If the epidemiological situation stabilizes in the spring, mainly due to a successful vaccination, then GDP will grow faster than in our last forecast.”
If vaccination is not successful and the epidemiological situation does not calm down, it will take much longer for the economy to return to the level it had before the crisis.
