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For those who test negative, the closing ends on January 18. In the case of another, there should be no discounts for vaccinated people, says the Minister of Health.
The Minister of Health, Rudolf Anschober (Greens), wants to present the rules to leave the confinement in the first week of January. So said the department head at his annual review press conference on Tuesday. There are no plans to offer discounts for vaccinated people in the event of a further lockdown, he stressed. The minister also does not want stricter measures if the willingness to vaccinate does not increase: he trusts education.
They are currently working on the rules for the time after the hard lockdown “free trial” planned for mid-January (January 15-17). A negative test should, as already announced, be able to end the lockdown one week before the planned end (January 24) and then be able to use offers such as restaurant visits. At the beginning of January, the last issue of controls, much debated, should also be resolved.
“There are no stricter measures regarding vaccines”
No discounts are provided for those who are vaccinated against the coronavirus. “We have no planning,” Anschober said. Vorarlberg’s state medical director Wolfgang Grabher had previously stated in the “Voralberger Nachrichten” that the federal government had promised a regulation that would provide benefits to vaccinated people in the event of a new lockdown.
When asked if, in view of the low willingness to vaccinate according to polls, stricter steps to achieve herd immunity might be possible, Anschober strongly denied. “We are not planning stricter measures regarding vaccines, but rather honest information.” It is about convincing the vast majority, who are still undecided about vaccination. “Only one thing can help: education and information.”
Regarding the vaccination plan, the minister said changes were still possible in detail, depending on when more vaccines are approved and when deliveries are possible. When asked about the National Immunization Board’s recommendations for prioritizing, according to which vaccinations for prisoners are planned before the group of teachers, Anschober said: “It is of little use to develop a competitive situation as to who has what priority. We want the most acute are at risk, give it priority. ” This is also a consensus across Europe. Something could still change in the prioritization, but not in the basic process. He says to vaccinate risk groups first.
The objective should be that from April vaccination can be “expanded” – “and those who do not belong to the risk group can also be vaccinated.” A vaccination offer must be guaranteed for all interested before the summer. “We have enough vaccine. It is not a question of the quantity, but of the moment: when the approval will arrive and when the corresponding delivery will arrive.” At the beginning of the year, Anschober awaits approval of a second vaccine, he said.
The electronic vaccination pass is coming, the mother and child pass is being modified
Looking back, Anschober spoke of a “very difficult year for all of us.” The challenge was characterized by “the fact that it was a completely new virus and I had no experience. Austria was not prepared for this pandemic, not all of Europe.” At the same time, the minister emphasized the cohesion that was experienced. It was gratifying that people who previously lived at risk of poverty were not at greater risk from the pandemic. However, he expects the consequences of the recession to be even more noticeable in 2021. Therefore, a key point of social policy in 2021 is the development of a national action plan to drastically reduce poverty – with particular attention to poverty. child poverty and poverty in old age among women.
Although the first half of 2021 will be dominated by the limitation of the pandemic, it is also necessary to implement other projects, the minister said. For example, there will be an amendment to the mother-child passport and the electronic vaccination pass will be implemented in the first three months of 2021. Anschober also referred to the planned nursing reform, in which training will be massively expanded above all . It is also important to draw up the national action plan for people with disabilities in 2021, Anschober said. He also wants to strengthen consumer protection, and in the area of animal welfare, Anschober is planning improvements in transport and farming.
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