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Did the mayor of Vienna copy that from the German chancellor? Michael Ludwig campaigned for an “Easter break” at the East Summit. Angela Merkel issued the Easter motto: “We will stay home.”
Since | 00.38, March 24, 2021
Conversations between health ministers Rudolf anschober (Greens) and the eastern federal states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland dragged on until late at night. The reason is that it is a serious action. From the bargaining circles I was listening that not only a short “Easter break” is being discussed, but a real two to three week lockdown for the entire eastern region.
Anschober, who is pushing for tough measures due to the tense situation in hospitals, said at the reception of the mayor of Vienna Michael ludwig, Governor of Burgenland Hans Peter Doskozil (both SPÖ) and Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) that he does not want to be content with “alibi measures”. What is needed is a “package that really helps curb the growing number of infections.” Ludwig spoke before the talks began. of a “paschal rest”that he could imagine personally and had already indicated in the afternoon that there would be tightening.
Mikl-Leitner urged in advance, however, that trade remains open. According to the report, here it should be the one that slows down the most. Burgenland Governor Doskozil, who recently called for opening measures, must be aware of the seriousness of the situation, it was said from the negotiating circles. At the beginning of the talks he spoke of the need to protect hospitals and intensive care facilities from collapse. Experts reportedly described the situation in hospitals much more dramatically than they did at Monday’s big summit at the Federal Chancellery..
Doctors have been warning of the impending collapse in the eastern region for days. The three governors can certainly imagine “new measures” as long as they are not unpopular and cause deep cuts. “Upper Austria, Styria and Salzburg will be ready in two to three weeks “, an informant warns the other federal states against wrong conclusions.
The culprit is the spread of the most infectious and aggressive British variant. Therefore, health experts are in favor of a short and hard blockade in the east of the country. The epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer, who belongs to the government’s committee of experts, said in the “ZiB2” of the ORF that now “decisive action” is needed – “action that leads to results”. “I would prefer a hard block that is short but effective – and that would lead to a rapid drop in the number of infections. “
The complexity researchers expressed themselves in a similar way Peter Klimek, who is also part of the official corona forecast consortium. “We are definitely running out of time,” he said in the “Presse” (Wednesday edition) with a view to intensive care units. When asked if a kind of “Eastern Blockade” would be needed, Klimek said: “If you want to put it in a surprising way: yes.”
In the run-up to the talks, measures even softer than the odds had been rumored. These ranged from an expansion of testing (Gurgel) to a higher FFP2 mask requirement (e.g. also for kindergarten teachers and younger pupils or in company social rooms) to faster quarantine reactions in case of positive test results in schools. After a positive case, the entire class could be quarantined (currently only for two or more cases). Cross-border travelers should expect a tightening of the validity of the evidence presented. Calls should also be made for better involvement in contact tracing.
