Who is in quarantine, you risk loss of pay

The test phase for the Corona App starts – Who is in quarantine, you risk LohnausfallBis to 15’000 Volunteers will be testing in the next few weeks, the Tracing App from the Federal government. One Problem is the lack of continued payment of wages obligation, however, is when someone goes because of a App-message in quarantine. Markus Brotschi2 Kommentare2Die new Corona-App of the Covenant is currently being tested with selected user groups.Photo: Denis Balibouse (Reuters)

The Federal office for health (BAG) has opened on Monday the pilot phase for the new Contact-Tracing App. With this, the user should be alerted, if they had to with the Coronavirus (Covid-19) infected Person contact. The application of the App is available in both the pilot phase as well as after that voluntary. Nevertheless, the authorities and experts, such as epidemiologist Marcel Salathé hope that at least 60 percent of the population will use the App. Thus, it should be possible to keep the reproduction number of the Virus under 1.

A hurdle for a high level of participation, the lack of continued wage payment obligation, for those who go to a contact in quarantine, however, is without disease symptoms. Since the application of the App is voluntary, it is not an officially prescribed quarantine with continued payment of wages obligation. From the point of view of ETH-Professor Salathé is at risk but the meaning and purpose of the App. Those who fear a financial disadvantage, do not go may be in quarantine. “Our goal is that the App can unfold the full epidemiological Use.” It is therefore not understandable that the Federal Council provides no continued payment of wages obligation.

If 60 percent of the population use the App, it costs the wage rate in the current case numbers around 3 million per month.

However, Parliament can make improvements here. Because in June, the councils want to create a legal Basis for the Corona App. Salathé and other experts now hope that the National Council and Council of States, an appropriate wage, provide for payment for voluntary quarantine. For those workers who can’t work from home more. In a letter to all members of the National Council and Council of the members of the Covid-19 Science Task Force and the working group “Contact-Tracing and quarantine are calling on” Parliament to amend the law accordingly.

Paid quarantine pay will be about the income compensation regulations (EO). The costs are according to the experts is relatively low. If 60 percent of the population use the App, the cost is the wage rate at the current low case to around 3 million francs per month, 3000 francs a quarantine case.

On the up at the end of June the current pilot phase will involve a maximum of 15’000 people. The App is used by employees of the ETH in Lausanne and Zurich tested, of members of the military, of the hospital staff as well as employees of the Federal and the cantonal administrations. For the pilot phase, workers were selected, and have them regularly in direct contact.

In the case of the application of the App are stored, no personal data is Central. The smartphone installed application inform your users, if you have had contact with a declared infected Person using the App also. The decisive factor is whether the contact lasted longer than 15 minutes and the distance was less than two meters.

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