Canton will provide hygiene masks to businesses if necessary

The Zug Governing Council welcomes the relaxations decided by the Federal Council and will implement the adjustments in the canton of Zug. There is a chance that daycare centres will receive financial support for a longer period.

The drastic restrictions on public life have had the desired effect: the number of new infections with the coronavirus "has also been greatly reduced in the canton of Zug, and the Zug hospitals have not become overloaded," according to a press release issued by the Zug Government Council on Friday. "A moderate relaxation of the restrictions is therefore appropriate." The development in the infection statistics in the canton of Zug is good, and  the figures are comparatively low. Using the so-called ‘Contact Tracing’ method, the canton of Zug, together with the Lungenliga (lung league) of Central Switzerland, has been caring for people infected up to today, and has tried to avoid new infections. The governing council will continue to rely on this method.

Companies that provide personal services with physical contact such as coiffeurs, massages, tattoo studios and cosmetics will be allowed to reopen from 27 April, according to the decision of the Federal Council. The protection of the public and the workers must be ensured, however. Depending on the industry, the wearing of face masks can be appropriate. If there are not enough hygiene masks available on the market, the canton of Zug will provide hygiene masks to these industries from its stock, in order to bridge this bottleneck. The canton will provide more information next week as to how the distribution of masks will be organized.

The gradual opening up of the economy will help to minimise the impact on the economy of Zug, in particular with regard to jobs. According to the communication, the Governing Council also welcomes the fact that the relaxations are being accompanied by protection concepts, although their exact content remains to be seen. Depending on the industry sector, these may include recommendations or obligations; nevertheless, the measures to maintain social distance and hygiene remain valid and important. The current situation placed great demands on society and the economy.

Masks are a sought-after commodity.

On 24 March, the Zug Government Council therefore decided on various measures to support Zug companies, in addition to the federal measures. These include an unprecedented aid package for the Zug population and businesses. The clear aim of the Governing Council is that the economy and the population can, where possible, pick up again from where they were before the crisis.

The Governing Council calls on the Federal Council to indicate the perspectives for those industries and sectors of society that are not mentioned in the current ordinance. This includes, for example, the catering establishments. Openings are also possible in sport, in both elite sport and in general, if the rules are adhered to. The Zug Government Council is convinced that "the cantons are able to examine and permit sensible concepts here." The Zug Government Council calls on the Federal Council to pass an emergency law regime as soon as possible in accordance with the Epidemic Law, and to return to the ordinary areas of responsibility.

In addition to certain commercial enterprises, medical service providers can also resume or ramp up their operations. The Canton of Zug expressly welcomes this measure. A further restriction in this area would have resulted in a backlog of operations, and this must be avoided. At the same time, it is crucial that the hospitals in Zug remain prepared for a possible resurgence of Covid-19 cases and that they take the appropriate measures. The canton of Zug continues to be in close contact with the Zug Cantonal Hospital in Baar and the Andreas Clinic in Cham.

Compulsory schools are due to reopen their doors to pupils on 11 May, and classroom teaching at the middle, vocational, technical college and university level will be resumed on 8 June. The lower secondary schools at the cantonal schools in Zug and Menzingen belong to the middle school sector, and will reopen with them. The government council reports that it is conceivable that the last two days of distance learning will be declared free of instruction for the pupils, so that the teachers can move into the school buildings and start the school operations on site. "The guidelines for the organisation of classroom teaching must ensure a rapid return to normality." This includes school certificates before the summer holidays, as well as carrying out the written final examinations at the middle schools.

Possibly longer support for daycare centres
The operation of day-care centres remains guaranteed, although, care at home is still preferred until the federal council measures are relaxed, if this is feasible for families. In this case, as communicated at the beginning of April, the canton of Zug is prepared to pay the parental contributions. The financial rescue package for the daycare centres to the amount of CHF 2.8 million, which was announced by the Zug government, starts retroactively from 16 March and ends on 19 April. At the end of April, the Zug government will decide whether this will be extended until 9 May where necessary. The playgroups are treated in the same way as the elementary schools. They will remain closed until 9 May, and can claim short-time working compensation.

The Zug vocational schools are well prepared for this year's special qualification procedures (QV). The aim is for all learners to be able to receive the certificate of ability, after successful completion, by mid-July 2020 (Canton Zug: around 1,200 young people). The QV will be carried out in accordance with national requirements (according to the emergency ordinance of the Federal Council). There will be no final school examinations. In the case of the practical work, the final examination is carried out on the basis of predetermined variants, which will be determined by the respective branch association; The aim is to determine the capability for the employment market. Details of the examinations per occupation will be communicated by the end of April (Canton Zug: around 130 different occupations). The modalities for the vocational baccalaureate examinations will be communicated at the beginning of May.

These initial easings do not in any way mean that the Corona pandemic had been overcome. "It is and remains crucial that the population continues to comply with the hygiene and distance rules, and to avoid physical contact with people outside their own household."

The cantonal hotline is still available for questions from the public: 041 728 49 00 (Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or corona@zg.ch