Berset's meeting with the cultural sector

According to the Federal Council's press release, the representatives of the cultural sector were able to inform the head of the FDHA about the specific problems facing the industry. The overall economic measures to cushion the economic consequences of the pandemic, which are also available to the cultural sector, were also discussed. In addition to the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and the Pro Helvetia cultural foundation, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) were also represented at the discussion.

In the last revision of the Covid-19 Act in December 2020, the instrument of loss compensation, which was initially limited to cultural enterprises, was extended to cultural professionals. At the same time, the income and asset limits up to which cultural workers are entitled to emergency aid were increased. The extension of short-time work compensation to fixed-term employment contracts is another measure that is particularly important for the cultural sector.

According to the Federal Council, it is unfortunately not currently possible to give a binding outlook on the reopening of cultural institutions or the reopening of cultural events. A gradual reopening would depend on numerous variables, such as progress in vaccination coverage, the spread of the new Covid mutations and compliance with sanitary measures. The Federal Council is constantly evaluating the epidemiological situation. If restrictions can be relaxed in the coming months, this will probably be done in stages and depending on the type and size of the event.

The Federal Council has made funds amounting to CHF 280 million available to finance the package of measures to cushion the economic impact on the cultural sector in 2020. On September 25, Parliament approved the continuation of the measures under the Covid-19 Act and allocated funds of CHF 130 million for 2021.

Original article:
https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-82101.html