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AUSTRIA: There were more than 900 new infections in Austria yesterday. This is the second wave now, right?
Sebastian Short: I said last week that we are seeing the start of the second wave in Austria. And I stick to that. We have exponential growth, which is still easy, but there it is. Hence my urgent request to the population to adhere to all measures: keep your distance, wear a mask, reduce hygiene and social contacts.
AUSTRIA: Apparently, many people are no longer familiar with the measurements. Others no longer take them seriously. Isn’t that a problem?
Short: The rules are very clear: the mask must be used in some areas: in all shops, in public transport, in official buildings, in medical care, in the health sector. In the catering industry, people can just sit back and no longer consume them, as we recently recorded frequent infections in the bar area. Private celebrations outside your own four walls, be it a birthday party or a joint sports show, are limited to a maximum of ten people. Since we have seen that where people feel safe, with friends and acquaintances, the risk of infection increases.
AUSTRIA: The number of new infections has been increasing for some time. It was said that she wanted to squeeze it two or three weeks ago. So why didn’t they come earlier?
Short: It is true that I have wanted to tighten the measures since the end of summer. But it is not my only decision. Now in government we have jointly agreed to toughen up, which is also very necessary.
AUSTRIA: There are now also some travel warnings against Austria or Vienna. Isn’t that also a problem?
Short: Travel warnings always mean financial damage. I understand that the food and hospitality industries are now very tense, especially in Vienna. Now we must all fight together against this high number of infections.
AUSTRIA: Sacher’s boss, Matthias Winkler, told me that “in this situation we cannot afford to have black sheep” in night catering, for example.
Short: So is. For this reason, the Minister of the Interior, Nehammer, will now also initiate an action and closely follow the night gastronomy.
AUSTRIA: In Italy, for example in Sardinia, there were also problems with evening dinners. The government had night caterer when it got up again closed. Why didn’t this happen here?
Short: It happened with the previous curfew. Unfortunately, some have used derivations. That should no longer be allowed. Hence the sharp action.
AUSTRIA: Many people wonder why the last few months were not used for better preparation. Vienna is massively increasing contact tracing. There are also problems with contact tracing and testing capabilities in other federal states. Why didn’t anything happen there?
Short: I have the impression that some underestimated the situation and did not implement the measures that would have been necessary in time. I hope that the situation in Vienna does not get out of control.
AUSTRIA: But we are seeing an increase across Austria, some districts are bright orange, right?
Short: Yes, we have a clear increase across Austria, but there are large regional differences. A quarter of the total population lives in Vienna, but here we record around half of new infections.
AUSTRIA: Can the winter season still be saved?
Short: Many jobs throughout Austria depend on tourism. We must do everything possible to ensure that it is carried out safely. But for this we all have to collect ourselves and together contain new infections again. If we stick together, it is possible.
AUSTRIA: You recently said you see light at the end of the tunnel. Wasn’t that too optimistic?
Short: But I linked that with the assessment that before that fall and winter it would be very hard. I’ll stick with that. Yesterday I met with the CEOs of the big pharmaceutical companies Roche, Novartis and Lonza in Switzerland to learn more about drugs and corona vaccines. Great strides are also being made in drugs, tests, and vaccines. Therefore, I am convinced that the situation can return to normal in the summer of 2021.
Interview: Isabelle Daniel
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