Events with over 1k People Banned in Luxembourg

At its meeting on Wednesday, the Luxembourg Cabinet decided to ban events involving more than 1,000 people amid coronavirus fears; the ban is in effect until 31 March 2020 at the earliest.

In addition to officially banning all events in confined spaces with over 1,000 people, the Cabinet confirmed that events with fewer than 1,000 people may be banned on a case-by-case basis by the Health Inspectorate.

Similarly, the Cabinet decided to use the three medical centres in Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette and Ettelbruck to increase the diagnostic capacity for people infected with coronavirus, while ensuring a separate flow from other patients. The Ministry of Health will inform the population from when and in what manner this device will be operational. The Cabinet ministers also agreed on the principle of offering medical teleconsultancy to patients to avoid patient movement and thus limit the spread of the virus.

In this context, the ministers adopted a draft regulation aimed at modifying an earlier regulation defining diseases or impairments of exceptional severity, creating parental leave and leave for family reasons. This draft regulation provides for the possibility of a right to leave for family reasons for parents whose children have been subject to a quarantine measure by a doctor from the Health Department, namely to limit the spread of infectious diseases and more specifically that of coronavirus.

The Cabinet ministers similarly a bill on the establishment of an aid scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in temporary financial difficulty due to an exceptional unforeseeable event of national or international scope.

The Cabinet meeting was followed by a press conference on the measures put in place as part of the fight against the spread of coronavirus.

Yesterday also saw Luxembourg's Prime Minister, in consultation with the Minister of Health and the High Commissioner for National Protection, convene the "Pandemic" crisis unit. The crisis unit met under the chairmanship of Health Minister Paulette Lenert and brought together all the ministries and administrations concerned by the subject to take stock of the situation and to take the measures adapted to the evolution of the situation in Luxembourg and Europe.

Faced with a progressive spread of the virus in Luxembourg and its bordering regions, the crisis cell prepared the gradual transition from the containment strategy to the implementation of additional measures. In this context, members discussed the protection of fragile populations at risk of severe complications relating to the virus. The unit also reviewed the decisions the Cabinet made earlier that day.

Discussions also focussed, on the one hand on increasing the accommodation capacity of sick people when necessary and on the other hand on business continuity plans with the State.

Lastly, participants analysed the current and future operation of the hotline 8002 8080, which has been in high demand in recent days, with more than 650 daily calls. The public is advised to consult the FAQ available on the site www.gouvernement.lu/coronavirus for general information and preventive measures to adopt. The authorities will continue to monitor developments closely and inform the public on a regular basis of developments and the new measures being implemented.