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Until now it was important, now it is super important.
© APA / HERBERT NEUBAUER
One major phase follows another in the crown pandemic and now, according to the government, the most important phase is beginning. After all, everyone who has not yet been to the mass test is encouraged to get tested.
The federal government urged the public on Wednesday to make greater use of mass corona tests. Even if the hard lockdown had worked, the number of infections in Austria remained “extremely high,” Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said after the Cabinet. Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) does not want to give up. Despite the rumored dissatisfaction, they both rated the coalition’s climate as positive.
Anschober gave the current figures in the press lobby. The current 2,932 new infections (minus 21 percent in one week) would be compared to the 3,501 recently recovered. The reproduction factor is 0.84, the “sleep goal” would be below 0.8. It expects to fall below 2,000 in the next week, the minister said. The seven-day incidence fell from 522 at the beginning of the hard lockdown to 237: “We are heading in the right direction, but we are far from where we need to be.”
“The most important phase in history”
The next four weeks of Christmas shopping and holidays are “the most important phase of all” and “very risky”, warned the Minister of Health. The massive tests are a good indicator, with 566,000 participants around 2,000 newly infected people who previously had no suspicions. However, Anschober saw a “clear need for optimization” when participating. Everything is perfectly organized there, “it must be worth half an hour.” Because: “Each one who goes is a contribution.”
Nehammer once again assumed the role of strict Minister of the Interior. The restriction of departure in the afternoon and at night “is not a recommendation, but an obligation”. The police control this accordingly. He also warned to get tested. This is better than risking another lockdown, loss of jobs, or reduced hours. “Those who do the tests guarantee security,” said the Interior Minister; it is a contribution to be able to return to normality.
Like Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Nehammer was confirmed by the situation in Germany, where tougher measures are being considered until school closures, although the numbers are much lower. Therefore, he addressed the opposition with the desire for greater objectivity and solidarity. In Austria they don’t want to go in the direction of Germany at the moment, Anschober emphasized: “Our aim is to avoid all that.”
Regulation on entry restrictions in the coming days
The ordinance of the Ministry of Health on entry restrictions is currently pending. The minister promised that this would be ready in the course of this week “in the next two or three days” and then it would quickly become legally binding. Those related to Christmas should be available by the middle of next week at the latest.
The second wave of massive testing targets Anschober after the Christmas break, specifically named January 8. Over the course of the week, the federal states want to make sure the dates are fixed.
They both rejected the fact that the crown crisis, but also the discussions about the next anti-terror package, are causing turbulence in the coalition between the ÖVP and the Greens and that it is an indicator of an imminent new election, as the FPÖ had assumed . Anchober identified “excellent teamwork.” The joint discussion and the struggle for solutions even distinguish this government, Nehammer agreed. Because: “A coalition is not a single party.”
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