Swiss parliament interrupts spring session over coronavirus
View inside the Swiss parliament on March 2
Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle
Parliament is cutting short the ongoing work in its two chambers – House of Representatives and Senate - due to the “rapidly worsening” coronavirus situation in Switzerland.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
العربية
ar
البرلمان السويسري يوقف دورته الربيعية قبل الآجال القانونية بسبب فيروس كورونا المستجد
The spring session of parliament began on March 2 and was due to run for another week from March 16.
But due to the “rapidly worsening coronavirus situation” the presidents of the House of Representatives and Senate parliamentary groups decided to interrupt work at the request of the administrative delegation, parliament announced on Twitter on March 15.
The Keystone-SDA News agency confirmed that the presidents discussed the situation on Sunday during a telephone conversation.
Senate President Hans Stöckli told Swiss public radio, SRF; “We have no business that makes it necessary for us to meet…but the situation is serious.”
Various requests had been made by parliamentarians to suspend the spring session two weeks ago but it had gone ahead nonetheless. Special measures had been introduced to prevent transmissions.
Stöckli said a special session is already planned for early May. In addition, a session could be convened at any time if the Federal Council needed parliamentary decisions.
Switzerland is one of the countries most affected by the coronavirus worldwide, with over 1,500 confirmed cases and 14 deaths.
On March 13, the Swiss government imposed sweeping measures on March 13, including closing schools across the country until at least April 4 (some cantons have longer closures until April 30), banning public gatherings of more than 100 people, limiting access to restaurants, bars and discos to a maximum of 50 people and pledging CHF10 billion to help the economy.
Cantons Ticino, Basel Country and Jura have introduced tighter measures to combat the spread of the virus.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss health minister criticises Trump’s ‘rash’ WHO exit
This content was published on
Switzerland has expressed “deep” regret over Trump’s decision to withdraw from the WHO, Swiss Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider said in Davos.
This content was published on
Job vacancies in Switzerland fell by 10% in 2024, marking the first negative annual balance since the Covid-19 pandemic, says Adecco.
Swiss president meets Zelensky in Davos amid tensions with Europe
This content was published on
Swiss President met Zelensky at Davos. As Zelensky thanked Switzerland, Keller-Sutter said it's too early to discuss a new summit, awaiting Trump's actions.
Basel diocese files five claims of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church
This content was published on
The diocese of Basel has received 141 reports of sexual abuse since the publication of a sweeping study on violations in the Catholic Church by the University of Zurich in 2023.
Swiss president calls for open markets and stable institutions in WEF speech
This content was published on
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter was among speakers at the WEF in Davos to make the case for fair competition, a day after Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States.
Swiss film in competition at the 75th Berlinale has a shot at Golden Bear
This content was published on
The feature film La Cache by Lausanne screenwriter and director Lionel Baier has a chance of winning the Silver or Golden Bear at the 75th Berlinale, festival organisers said on Tuesday.
Swiss politician who shot at image of Jesus resigns from Liberal Green Party
This content was published on
Sanija Ameti, who caused controversy after shooting at an image of Jesus and Mary last September, has resigned from the Liberal Green Party.
Swiss campaigners gather enough signatures to submit ‘responsible business’ initiative
This content was published on
The Swiss people are set to vote again on the corporate responsibility of multinationals after campaigners collected 183,661 signatures in 14 days for their new 'responsible business' initiative.
Several Swiss municipalities and banks hit by cyberattack
This content was published on
Russian hackers attacked the websites of several Swiss municipalities and banks on Tuesday, just as the World Economic Forum (WEF), got under way in Davos.
Music strengthens brain connections in premature babies, Swiss study shows
This content was published on
In premature babies, music strengthens connections in certain areas of the brain, according to a years-long study by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG).
Switzerland bans major public events to slow spread of virus
This content was published on
Switzerland has banned public events with more than 1,000 people until at least March 15 in response to the coronavirus threat.
Companies seek to cushion the economic blow of coronavirus
This content was published on
As some Swiss businesses are forced to cut back on working hours due to the coronavirus, more are requesting financial support from authorities.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.