Tanson made it clear that as long as the government has not decided on any new measures, she was not able to discuss any further restrictions.
Instead, she pointed out that even though numbers were generally on the decline, this may not be enough to avoid a harder lockdown, especially with the upcoming festivities and holidays.
Tanson admitted that certain measures that had been introduced by the current Covid-19 law have been wrongly interpreted. The minister cited the issue of alcohol consumption in public places as an example, stressing that outdoor bars, which started to pop up over the past days, go against the intentions of both the government and the law.
According to Tanson, the government is working on a long-term strategy. She also expressed support for the demand that an official assessment should be drawn up after the pandemic.
Tanson stated that it was wrong to say that the Grand Duchy had chosen an “extremely liberal” approach. Restrictions in private life had been strict, even over the summer period. Tamson stressed that restricting individual rights should never be an easy decision. Even the current restrictions have led to a “special” situation regarding residents’ rights, which in turn have definitely had an impact on society as a whole.
The individual members of the government are working well together, and decisions are taken in agreement with each other. If discussions arise, Tanson added, they are hardly ever polarising.
According to Tanson, the bad reputation of busses, tramways, and trains have nothing to do with public transport in general but are instead caused by people’s fear of enclosed spaces.
The climate crisis is still looming in the background of the coronavirus crisis. Tanson thinks that the pandemic could potentially lead to a different mindset. In any case, the minister stated that she does not think that people can just “move on” and continue as they did before the crisis. There is a chance that habits could be changed for the better, Tanson added.
When asked about her party’s poor performance in recent polls, Tanson replied that the government had paved the way for a number of green projects over the past months and her party will continue working in that vain. She cited the record investments into railway infrastructure as one example.
The Minister of Justice praised the work of opposition MPs Gilles Roth and Laurent Mosar from the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV), stating that both men had “done their work” over the past years by criticising the secret dossiers that were used by police and judicial authorities. The Ministry is currently working on fixing this particular situation, in the interest of all citizens. On Friday, the State Council decided in favour of a draft bill dealing with the treatment of personal data in police dossiers.
Tanson also announced that it has already been decided to include a passage in the new law for the protection of youth which stated unambiguously that minors are never to be imprisoned in an adult penitentiary.
The minister rejects the common criticism that the public prosecutor’s office would often let dealers off the hook. She stated that action has been increasingly repressive in recent times. However, she also pointed out that investigating and sentencing culprits is just one aspect of a highly complex problem that also needed to be addressed socially.
Is shopping more important than culture? This question was raised after theatres and cinemas were forced to shut their doors while shops were allowed to stay open. Tanson stated that she understood those who criticised this decision.
However, she stressed that people should not forget that overcoming this crisis is supposed to be a team effort. This is why every sector jas to accept some restrictions. Regarding museums and public libraries, the Minister for Culture stated that she was happy that this part of the cultural sector was able to remain operational because – similar to shops – people could wear their masks and move freely across the space.
Other countries have a different approach, but Tanson stressed that it was important to the Luxembourg government to keep some part of culture alive.
Her greatest concern at the moment, Tanson explained, is the significant number of artists who are openly questioning whether they should continue their work or not.
In order to support artists further, aid has been extended and was raised on Friday. Tanson stated that there have been so many efforts over the past years to make starting a career in the cultural sector easier that it would be a disaster if all of that was simply nullified by this crisis.
Tanson concluded by stating that she is optimistic, stressing that there is light at the end of the tunnel. All she hopes for is that the cultural sector will manage to get through these difficult times.
