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Chancellor and Vice Chancellor made statements on crown measures in the National Council
Vienna (PK) – At the beginning of today’s special meeting, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler made a statement at the National Council on current and planned crown measures. The goal of the upcoming third lockdown is to reduce the numbers as quickly as possible, the chancellor said. Kurz and Kogler were hopeful with a vaccine. The opposition voiced criticism. The FPÖ hit particularly high notes. Government groups called for a joint fight against the pandemic.
In short: third blockade to avoid a third wave
The pandemic and associated economic crisis made 2020 an extremely challenging year, the Chancellor said at first. However, he was convinced that the federal government reacted decisively to the crisis from the beginning and took the necessary measures to protect the health of the population. Even if there is now a stabilization of the number of new infections in Austria, the figures are still high. A third wave is already beginning to manifest itself in some neighboring countries. Therefore, the stricter measures will be applied again in Austria from December 26, including exit restrictions, retail closure, home office and distance learning. The goal is to cut the numbers as quickly as possible and start the new year off to a good start. The second phase begins on January 18, during which certain offers can be taken advantage of, for example in culture, sports and tourism, through a “free exercise”. In general, they want to rely on massive testing, test some professional groups weekly, and enable a free trial offer throughout Austria. The third phase, Kurz announced, will bring a return to normality, that is, when the vaccination takes effect. According to the chancellor, he sticks to his assessment that he will be able to return to normal by the summer.
Kurz used the statement to thank the social partners, federal states and municipalities, governors and mayors, emergency services, families and all those who work in the health sector, as well as the parties represented in parliament. , especially the Social Democracy. He looks forward to 2021 with great optimism. The Chancellor was convinced that the breakthrough would be achieved with vaccination.
Kogler: vaccination as a “bright spot”
Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler compared the Corona crisis to a long-distance race. The last few miles ahead are particularly difficult, but there are reasonable hopes that the pandemic will end next year. He described the vaccine released today by the European Medicines Agency as a “bright spot”. He also thanked those who work in the health system. The aim of the measures is to ease the tense situation in hospitals and intensive care units. The Vice Chancellor also expressed his gratitude to the supermarket employees, the parcel delivery staff and the kindergarten and school teachers. Having to close schools to reduce the overall number of infections is a painful but necessary compromise, Kogler said.
Due to the positive measures to cushion the economic and social crisis from his point of view, the new year can be started with hope in terms of economic and employment policy. In the face of some boos from the plenary, Kogler called it irresponsible that those people who do not wear a mask scream and spray aerosols. Sure the government has made mistakes. But mistakes would only happen if you act and not if you just interrupt. With this in mind, he called for a joint effort in the last kilometers to get out of the crisis, although there are different opinions in Parliament.
SPÖ addresses the situation of children
Philip Kucher (SPÖ) criticized the statements made by members of the government. He saw a loss of confidence in the government among the population. Instead of praising yourself, you need a critical appraisal of what can be done better in the future in such a situation, Kucher said. Sonja Hammerschmid and Gabriele Heinisch-Hosek (both SPÖ) made the situation of children in the crisis a problem. At 49 days, compulsory school students spent more than half of their school days in distance education, Hammerschmid showed. She herself was more present in the upper house than the children in school. However, there were no infection groups in parliament, which MPs attributed to regular testing and well-thought-out hygiene measures. She also demanded the same for schools. Heinisch-Hosek campaigned for humanitarian aid not only at home, but also for children and families in refugee camps in Greece. He presented a proposal for a resolution asking the government to take measures to achieve decent housing for asylum seekers from Moria and to allow the reception of unaccompanied children and minors. However, the motion did not obtain a majority.
NEOS misses a logical explanation for the third crash
Nikolaus Scherak (NEOS) assured the government that he would support increased testing and when it comes to building confidence in a vaccination among the population. Otherwise, he was irritated by what he saw as “a Christmas speech disguised as a government statement.” A logical explanation of why a third lock is needed is lost. He did not imagine how to control the “freest” and complained that there was still no legal basis for it. Josef Schellhorn (NEOS) criticized the fact that entrepreneurs were left in uncertainty and called for certainty and predictability.
Strong criticism of the FPÖ
FPÖ club president Herbert Kickl struck high notes. Before the third confinement, he accused Sebastian Kurz of placing a “bomb” under the Christmas tree in terms of deprivation of liberty and economic development, which was to be detonated in mid-January. He referred to the free trials advertised as the “trial separation system.” He located an extortion attempt as “mass evidence or house arrest”, described it as “protective custody in terms of health policy” and compared it to the RDA. In his opinion, massive tests would not make sense. Kickl expressed the fear that similar measures will be used for vaccination and saw a path “towards forced vaccination.” He announced strong resistance from the Liberal Party in the House. The second president of the National Council, Doris Bures (SPÖ) Kickl, called for order to describe the government’s declaration as “nonsense”. Like his party colleague Axel Kassegger, he identified a restriction on freedom of expression, which Bures, in turn, strongly rejected. Because of other “border terms,” Bures also requested a stenographic transcript of the speech in order to make an assessment.
Gerhard Kaniak (FPÖ) described it as “outrageous” that house arrest is threatened without a legal basis if people are not prepared to follow the “forced dictation of mass evidence”. He also found it outrageous that the FPÖ was accused of not pursuing a constructive opposition policy.
ÖVP calls for joint action
ÖVP club president August Wöginger resolutely opposed Kickl’s criticism. Denying the virus is a dubious policy, which you reject. The task of elected politicians is to protect people from this serious disease. From their point of view, there is constructive and critical opposition from the SPÖ and NEOS, but with the FPÖ also a party that is neither constructive nor makes suggestions. Therefore, he called on the Liberal Party not to spread lies and not raise fears about testing and vaccination, but to motivate people to use them. This is the only way to fight the pandemic, Wöginger said.
Gabriela Schwarz (ÖVP) accused the FPÖ of splitting. It is important that everyone contributes something to ensure that the health system is not overloaded. He called on all people to wear masks, keep their distance, and get tested. Josef Smolle (ÖVP) also called for shared responsibility. COVID-19 is now the second leading cause of death. Only one set of measures could help, and each measure loses its effectiveness if diluted and undermined, Smolle said.
Greens: the politics of uncertainty will not succeed
The director of the Greens club, Sigrid Maurer, also referred to Kickl’s statements in her speech. He is glad that the FPÖ is no longer in government, but people who are serious about the pandemic and the protection of people’s health. The frequent comparisons with the fascism of bygone eras are tremendously trivializing and, in his opinion, testify to a lack of sensitivity. The only thing Kickl adds to the debate is uncertainty and screaming. That is neither useful nor worthy of Parliament, Maurer said. Mistakes were certainly made to overcome the crisis, which need to be clarified in hindsight. The opposition is free to criticize the decisions. However, it does not want to accept the FPÖ’s refusal to participate in a constructive overcoming of the crisis. Maurer was convinced that the FPÖ would not be successful with its policy of uncertainty. He is not worried about the population’s willingness to get tested and vaccinated, because people have understood that solidarity is now needed. Agnes Sirkka Prammer (Greens) was positive about the new testing possibilities, especially rapid tests. (Continuation of the National Council) kar
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