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With 1,500 new infections a day, countries are more in the draw. The traffic light commission found red switches: the districts of Tyrol, Salzburg and Upper Austria are affected.
Vienna It was a dramatic appeal from the Federal Chancellor. With the words: “It has to be clear to everyone in the state: the situation is serious,” Sebastián Kurz wrote to the governors. In several federal states, the corona infection figures have assumed a “very worrying degree.” A new infection rate as in the Czech Republic, Kurz warned, would de facto lead to a second lockdown.
And further: “The point now is that the federal states particularly affected carry out tightening measures in the regions, since after a certain point in time neither rapid tests nor specific contact tracing will be possible for the authorities of the federal states in question. ” also the population to “take the situation seriously”.
The traffic light commission decides on red for the first time
Corona’s stoplight commission also met Thursday night. Nine districts, it was heard beforehand, were candidates for red; Hallein, Wels-Stadt, Innsbruck-Stadt, and Innsbruck-Land all turned red. The federal capital, Vienna, remains in orange.
With more than 1,500 cases, a new record for infections was reached on Thursday: at 9:30 a.m., 1,552 people tested positive in 24 hours. These were divided among the provinces as follows: Burgenland: 35. Carinthia: 22. Lower Austria: 242. Upper Austria: 224. Salzburg: 66. Styria: 119. Tyrol: 295. Vorarlberg: 69. Vienna: 480.
Haslauer as a “role model”
As the first among state governors, Salzburg Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) tightened measures for the Kuchl community in the badly affected Hallein district on Thursday.
In the evening, his Tyrolean colleague, Günther Platter (ÖVP), did the same. Now a registration requirement is being introduced in the catering sector in Tyrol. Additionally, in Tyrolean districts that turn orange or red at the Corona traffic light, the traffic light color orange will be applied to schools; this means that from ninth grade onwards, the system will switch to distance learning. Distance learning is also expanding in Tyrol technical colleges and universities. Public events can only be held with assigned seating with a maximum of 250 people; drinks are prohibited. Also, only 100 people can attend funerals, Platter said. The activities of the club will not be left out of the new measures either: the activities will be limited to the “real purpose of the club”, the dining room, for example, will have to remain closed. In particularly sensitive areas, such as nursing homes and nursing homes and hospitals, only two visitors are allowed per day. The measures apply from Friday night, the obligation of gastronomic registration and the new school regulations apply from Monday.
Discussion on nursing homes and elderly
As for the content, the outbreaks of Thursday afternoon in homes for the elderly and the elderly were discussed at the meeting of the traffic light commission. Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) was concerned about this beforehand. Some also wanted to discuss the basics, namely: What if the numbers increase more in winter? Can there be another level of escalation after red? The meeting only ended after this issue went to press.
The goal of the government – and of the traffic light – is, as is well known, to take mainly regional measures. Before a second lockdown threatens as a last resort, all options at the state and district levels must be exhausted. For this reason, representatives of the federal government have been kneeling before the provincial governors for days to encourage them to take stricter measures. Haslauer’s actions are expected to create a domino effect, and other federal states will follow. Haslausler definitely calls turquoise and green a “role model.”
However, we also know that the west has different economic priorities (the approaching winter tourism) than the east. No further measures are planned in Vienna. Figures are currently said to be falling slightly thanks to the latest adjustment. The seriousness of the situation is clear to all, said Health Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ). But the fact is that “in such a situation, it is not just the federal states that are challenged.”
Ban plastic visors?
Therefore, the hacker implicitly demands nationwide action. In fact, they are also being considered. Whether the nationwide rules will be announced on Friday and what rules will be announced, as heard in government circles, but to what extent states are active now. It is suggested that the term mouth-to-nose mask or protection could be specified in such a way as to exclude the controversial plastic visors. The number of participants in events could also be reduced.
The mood in the government can be heard in the background: the ÖVP, especially the Foreign Ministry, is pressing. The Greens, especially the Minister of Health, are said to be holding back. In the green circles the view is different. It says there: The Greens have long preferred regional measures, while the ÖVP has been critical of traffic lights and would have preferred to act across the country. The Chancellor’s appeal now shows that the ÖVP has sided with the Greens.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, October 16, 2020)
