Entry bans should not apply in the private sector

Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) received club leaders from parliamentary parties for an interview on Monday afternoon. The reason for the occasion was the bitter criticism of the opposition and of the jurists to the reform project of the Epidemic Law and the Law of Covid-19 Measures. Anschober promised better integration of parliament and that the entry bans will not apply to the private sector.

AUSTRIA. Although the opposition parties were not exactly conciliatory beforehand and spoke of a criticism of the “dip” of the law, the situation seems to have calmed down somewhat: Anschober values ​​the discussion as a “good start for a discussion process”. Among the statements are “many constructive and exciting solutions.” The opposition was cautiously satisfied.

Better participation of Parliament

The minister now wants to involve parliament more in legislative decrees. Any regulation that strongly interferes with fundamental rights and freedoms should be dealt with in the future by the main committee of the National Council, Anschober said. There were also other concessions from the Ministry of Health. Corona’s stoplight will be better anchored in the law. The bill aims to make clear that the entry bans enshrined in it do not apply to the private sector. And, of course, other criticisms of the review process are also taken into account.

Opposition: “first conversations”

The opposition was cautiously satisfied with the result. “It was a first conversation,” said Jörg Leichtfried, deputy head of the SPÖ. “Our criticism, however, remains: the amendments to the law are very poorly detailed and not sufficiently determined when it comes to violations of fundamental rights.” The federal government has yet to learn anything from the mistakes of the past, and new drafts are poorly written and can unleash a mess of responsibility and uncertainty. , warned the deputy head of the SPÖ club in a broadcast.

FPÖ health spokesman Gerhard Kaniak said the next presentation would see if the criticism had been taken seriously. Gerald Loacker, vice president of the NEOS club, who also wants to wait for the ministry’s next drafts, is on the same line.

Coalition partner ÖVP also spoke of a “constructive conversation”. It couldn’t be a “coalition trick.” The president of the green club, Sigrid Maurer, assumes “that we will reach a good common solution”.

New draft of the Covid-19 law is under criticism