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Although the coronavirus has largely disappeared from everyday life, it remains unpredictable. SP, Groenen, GLP, Mitte-Party, FDP and EVP are therefore working together to expand individual provisions of the Covid 19 law. The vote will take place on June 18.
The further course of the pandemic cannot be estimated reliably, the impartial yes committee writes on Monday. The extension of the Covid law made it possible to intervene quickly if the situation deteriorated considerably. This is especially important for the protection of those who are particularly at risk.
To circumvent the emergency law
The extension is also necessary to protect the economy from a renewed outbreak of the pandemic and prevent the emergency law from being applied again. According to the committee, it is currently unlikely that the Covid certificate will be needed again in Germany.
The committee states that the extension may allow unauthorized medicines against Covid-19 to be marketed. This also secures the program for the development and production of Covid-19 medicines.
The Covid-19 law has been in force since September 2020 and has since been amended several times by parliament. In the most recent version, adopted at the end of December 2022, it is still valid until the end of June 2024. Because Parliament has declared the provisions urgent, they are already in force. If the extension were rejected at the ballot box, the law would have to be repealed by mid-December 2023.
For example, the legal basis for issuing Covid certificates has recently been expanded. These can be used to demonstrate recovery, vaccination or a negative test for the coronavirus. In particular, it should be possible to issue certificates if they are required for travel abroad.
Import medicines and stimulate research
In addition, the federal government should be able to continue to use medicines that are not yet approved in Switzerland to treat serious Covid illnesses and to promote research, development and production of medicines. Still, he wants to be able to oblige employers to protect particularly vulnerable people in their workforce against infection, for example by working from home.
If necessary, the currently deactivated Covid app should also be able to be used again. It is used to keep track of contacts with people who have tested positive for the virus. The federal government also wants to be able to impose entry restrictions if necessary, but to allow border commuters to enter the country despite the closed borders.
The federal government should still be able to oblige the cantons to report the occupancy rate of hospital capacity on their territory. It must also be possible to reintroduce a reporting obligation for medicines, protective equipment and important medical goods. If necessary, the federal government wants to have an overview of the number and occupancy of hospital beds and to be able to identify and prevent gaps in the supply in a timely manner.
An instrument for the Bundesrat
The extension is intended to give the Bundesrat a tool to fight the still unpredictable virus without having to invoke the emergency law again. The Federal Council writes that almost no provisions of the law are currently being applied. A no to the extension would make it more difficult to act in the event of another emergency.
The cantons also support the extension. The Conference of Cantonal Governments (KdK) stated that the Covid-19 law ensures that the federal government and the cantons also coordinate well in the normal situation that is now back in force. This is important given the uncertainties that still exist. And the law ensures that proven tools to deal with the pandemic are still available.
The National Council approved the proposal by a vote of 140 to 50. The no votes came from the SVP faction and occasionally from FDP members. In the Council of States, the extension was passed by 39 votes to one. This no came from an SVP representative.
Mass-Voll and Friends of the Constitution held a referendum
The referendum committee of the Mass-voll and Friends of the Constitution movements wants to draw a line under the pandemic. The corona measures made no sense, says a representative of the committee when the signatures were handed over. That is why the Covid law must be repealed as soon as possible and democracy must be restored. The Covid 19 law gives the Federal Council “undemocratic power”.
In particular, the opponents argue that the certificate proving vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 is useless. Because it has been shown that vaccinated people can spread the coronavirus just as well as unvaccinated people.
The commission accused both the Bundesrat and the parliament of lying. Their corona policy was “never effective”. (SDA/sq)
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
