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If Covid-19 infections continue to rise, the government wants to counter it with more restrictive measures. “The higher the number of infections, the more restrictive measures are needed,” said Federal Chancellor Sebastian. Short (VP) after the Council of Ministers on the national holiday. The goal is to avoid the overload of intensive care medicine. “The last measure is a second blockade,” he said. Short.
“We have a massive, exponential growth. That is an extreme challenge. The situation is very, very serious, even for those who still do not want to believe it,” he stressed. Short. In this sense, it relies on the assessment of the virologist Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stckl, who also advises the Foreign Ministry. In an email made public Sunday, the doctor warned members of the Health Ministry’s Corona working group about the uncontrolled spread.
If that doesn’t slow down, action will have to be taken, he said. Short. “No country in the world, not even the Republic of Austria, will allow intensive care medicine to be overwhelmed and people can no longer be treated.” In principle, however, “as much freedom as possible and as little restriction as necessary” applies.
>> Take a look at the press conference after the Council of Ministers: From minute 9 onwards, Kurz answered the question about a second block.
612 new crown cases in Upper Austria
With 2,456 new infections on Monday in 24 hours, the number of positive PCR tests remains at a high level; a week ago it was 1,121, that is, less than half. The number of active coronavirus cases now stands at 23,239, according to figures from the Ministry of Health and the Interior (at 9:30 a.m.), an increase of 8,575 in a week.
1,330 people are hospitalized for Covid-19, 188 of them in an intensive care unit, 14 more than yesterday. Last Monday, the number of hospital patients was 799 and the number of intensive care patients 145. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, there have been 83,267 positive PCR tests and 13 more people have died with a SARS-CoV-2 infection. since yesterday, so the rate increased Number of deaths to 992.
With 612, the majority of new infections came from Upper Austria, Vienna followed in second with 494, 334 positive PCR tests were reported in Styria. The other federal states are divided as follows: 282 cases in Tyrol, 232 in Lower Austria, 221 in Salzburg and 136 new infections were registered in Vorarlberg. 102 positive tests came from Burgenland and 43 from Krnten.
Debate on shorter quarantine: Ministry is reviewing
After several vice president ministers, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (vice president) is also in favor of a shorter quarantine of K1 contact persons. “If the number is too high, at some point it will also paralyze our country,” the vice president refers to the burden on the location of the business on oe24.tv. However, according to a preliminary announcement, Kurz restricts: “This path can only be followed if it is scientifically justified.” The Ministry of Health is currently investigating.
Anyone who has had close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19 but did not become ill must be quarantined for ten days. The deadline runs from the last contact, a negative test does not shorten this quarantine. After a corresponding approach by business representatives, Tourism Minister Elisabeth Kstinger and Education Minister Heinz Famann (both vice president) called for the possibility of a “free trial” after five days on the weekend. The ON reported.
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Grne) promised to examine more easements but, as reported, dampened expectations of rapid implementation: “In times of massive increases in the number of infections, I am not prepared to take a greater risk. for the population”.
