Interim assessment of Covid emergency aid
Since March 2020, the Suisseculture Sociale association has been providing Covid emergency aid for professional cultural workers. Since March 2020, it has completed processing 8432 applications for support for around 3,000 people for two months at a time.
6645 applications were accepted. According to the Suisseculture press release, a total of almost CHF 23 million was distributed - for many creative artists, emergency aid was their only income in these difficult times.
With the pandemic developments surrounding the coronavirus, the Federal Council has sent more and more signals in recent weeks pointing to an end to the restrictions in the cultural and event industry: Certificate, seating and mask requirements could soon be lifted.
However, the Federal Council is also aware that the financial impact of the pandemic will not automatically end when the measures are lifted. Cultural events need lead times for planning and advertising, bookings are still being made cautiously - and it remains to be seen how quickly audiences will return to the venues.
For these reasons, the federal government and parliament have decided to extend individual measures until the end of 2022 - regardless of further pandemic developments and the measures that depend on them. This applies not only to the cantons' transformation projects, but also in particular to Suisseculture Sociale's Covid emergency aid.
This means that cultural professionals who are still in existential need due to the Covid crisis will continue to receive help. Applications to cover a shortfall in living costs can still be submitted every two months.
