CSV president Frank Engel told RTL that tax limits on teleworking of cross-border workers should be suspended. He urged the coalition government to coordinate efforts with Luxembourg's neighbouring countries in order to make this measure possible.
Engel also demanded that public transport be reduced. He questioned the logic behind cancelling large events while masses of people are still flooding Luxembourg's trains on a daily basis. Regarding the potential closure of schools, the CSV president argued that the Easter holidays should be prolonged if a pupil or a teacher tests positive.
Earlier this Thursday, CSV demanded in a press release that Luxembourg's schools close as of next Monday. The opposition party added that the proposed additional leave for family reasons "congé pour raisons familiales") was the right instrument to implement this measure and help parents to look after their children. School trips and physical education should also be cancelled, CSV argued.
CSV also urged the government to limit visits to hospitals and care homes in order to shield elderly citizens and other vulnerable members of society from the virus threat. The party also appealed to individual municipalities to provide clear instructions on how to deal with the pandemic.
Luxembourg's Minister for Mobility reacted to suggestions this Thursday morning. François Bausch explained that the government's measures aimed at the containment of the virus but highlighted that it was important to reach a compromise. Society needs to be able to function, he stressed. Coronavirus fears and the government's new measures have reportedly already triggered a decrease of movement in the Grand Duchy.
Minister of Economy Franz Fayot also reacted to the suggestion of introducing teleworking for cross-border workers. According to the minister, discussions with neighbouring countries are ongoing to avoid the double taxation of cross-border workers if they spend more time working from home.
Fayot also reiterated that the government is determined to financially support companies that are negatively impacted by coronavirus. The government is also pushing for shorter working hours and planning on allocating up to €20,000 in financial aid to small and medium-sized companies. Financial discussions with the European Union are also ongoing. 50 companies have applied for financial aid over the last seven days. This number is likely to increase, Fayot said.
