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After continued criticism of the planned Corona laws, Health Minister Rudi Anschober relented. On Monday afternoon he met with the leaders of the club and went through the most controversial points with them.
After about 80 minutes, the conversation ended with the assurance that Parliament’s main committee would be involved in the event of future crown-related restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms. It should also be established even more clearly that entry bans will not apply to the private sector, ie apartments and houses. Corona’s stoplight should be better anchored in the law.
Video: There was no jubilation among the opposition after the opposition’s announcement.
With the outbreak of the corona pandemic, the National Council and the Federal Council had urgently authorized the Minister of Health on March 15 to issue an order prohibiting entry. The Constitutional Court annulled this, so a repair was necessary. The review period for the amendment to the Corona and Epidemic Measures Act ended on Friday. The controversial draft stipulated that if Covid-19 occurred, the Minister of Health could once again regulate the entry of certain public places by ordinance.
The Neos had been the first to demand that it was not the sole responsibility of the minister to make such decisions. They had urged the main committee of the National Council to participate. A proposal that was also popular with the ÖVP and the opposition parties. “We are pleased that our proposal to involve the main committee comes now. We have yet to look at the concrete implementation,” Neos deputy club chief Gerald Loacker said after the conversation.
Not the car wash
The club’s vice-president, August Wöginger, also supports the measure: “Wherever fundamental rights and freedoms are affected, it makes sense for ordinances to go through the main committee,” he explained. But they should be relevant interventions. If, for example, a car wash is closed because of the crown, Parliament does not have to worry.
There are other flaws in the draft. The president of the SP club, Jörg Leichtfried, criticized the chaos of responsibilities: “More than 100 authorities are responsible for implementing the regulations.” FP health spokesman Gerhard Kaniak was also skeptical: It is unclear if and when federal, state or district authorities can impose crown measures in the future. Planned data acquisition in businesses or restaurants (“contact tracing”) is also too confusingly regulated.
A simple majority is sufficient for the adoption of the laws of the Crown. However, joining forces with the opposition would make it easier for Anschober to implement unpopular measures. There are “many interesting starting points for discussion,” he said yesterday, vowing to review the bill. The law could be approved on September 23, when the National Council meets.
The controversial Covid laws:
After the Constitutional Court lifted the provisions on exit restrictions, it is now necessary to review them. There is a draft and there is a great review. These are the most controversial points:
- The Minister of Health may issue entry bans to certain public places to prevent the spread of Corona. Review: A minister gets too much power (which is why relevant changes should now go through the main committee). Homes and private property must be clearly excluded.
- Contact tracking: Companies, organizers and associations should be obliged to collect the contact details of guests, visitors and customers, provided that they voluntarily consent. Review: This form of registration is too vaguely regulated and data protection is not guaranteed.
- Chaos of responsibility: The federal government, states, and districts can impose different measures depending on Covid 19 infections. At the same time, higher-ranking regulations can override regional ones. Review: Citizens can quickly lose track of the rules they must follow.
Article of
Annette gantner
National Policy Editor
