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“He’s getting serious again,” Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said at a news conference Friday about the current situation in Corona. On Fridays, the reactivation of the Corona traffic light is announced, which is based on the recommendations of the traffic light commission that met the previous day.
There is a continuous strong increase in the number of infections. Therefore, it is necessary to take action – a new sharpening is quite possible.
The following applies from next Monday, for the whole of Austria, regardless of regional traffic lights:
– In addition to the areas currently covered (public transport, supermarkets), oral and nasal protection is required in retail, service and party traffic; Also in schools it is mandatory to wear a mask outside of class (as already in Vienna).
– Event restrictions: 50 people inside, 100 people outside; for large events with a professional concept and assigned seating: 1,500 seats or 3,000 seats.
– In hospitality, waiters must wear a mask, consumption in closed rooms is only possible at the seat.
Kurz appealed to the population to be more cautious in general, “even if many cannot believe that the numbers will increase again.” She also touched on other countries that were doing well and now have huge problems, such as Israel.
Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler declared once again that they wanted to avoid a second blockade at all costs. It is about weighing how to bring together health protection and economic and social interests under one roof.
“The right measures must be taken at the right time,” said Health Minister Rudolf Anschober.
Seven yellow districts
As expected, Anschober announced that more districts will turn yellow. In addition to Vienna, Graz and Kufstein, which were already yellow, they are now Innsbruck, Schwaz, Korneuburg and Wiener Neustadt. At the same time, the minister warned that green does not mean that everything is in order, the minister warned.
Interior Minister Karl Nehammer was delighted that “awareness of dangers has reached Vienna” – Subtext: better late than nothing …
Also in this context, the government could not avoid the controversy surrounding the reception of refugees from the burning camp of Moria in Lesbos. Kurz and Kogler largely kept a low profile, referring to the different known points of view; the common overlap is “help in place,” Kurz said.
When could there be a second blockage? The better the authorities worked, the more disciplined the people, the more likely they were to have a reasonably good time in the next few months. The point is that “we never get into a situation in which a decision has to be made in the hospitals: who will be treated and who will not,” replied the chancellor.
Decoupling of infections and hospitalization
Anschober added that they also wanted to avoid a second wave. Internationally, Austria is still in good shape; the stated goal is to maintain it. It is gratifying that hospitalizations are not increasing at the same rate as the number of infections; this “decoupling” is absolutely positive. This is probably also due to the relatively low average age of those infected.
Kurz indirectly confirmed that he would have been in favor of changing the traffic light to orange for Vienna, but there are different evaluations in the commission. In any case, the representatives of the Chancellery and the Ministry of the Interior in the Commission were vehemently in favor of taking the situation seriously.
In conclusion, Kurz summed up: “We are in the middle of a pandemic.” The rules presented now apply to all of Austria. He does not expect the situation to improve in the coming weeks, but further action may be necessary.
