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This week, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wants to decide when the next round of massive testing will take place.
Until now, the relationship between the federal government and the federal capital in the Corona crisis has been quite contentious: first, the ÖVP had continuously criticized the crisis management of the state government led by the SPÖ in the Vienna election campaign, then Mayor Michael Ludwig held the government responsible for the high number of infections in the country in early December. On Monday there was something like a conciliatory joint appearance: Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Mayor Ludwig went to the test together at the Vienna Exhibition Center. “It was important for me to put aside the political setbacks of the parties in this health crisis,” Ludwig said after he and Kurz kept the test results on cameras.
Kurz thanked the city of Vienna and also praised the decision to extend the massive tests in the metropolis for a longer period of time. Chancellor and mayor jointly promoted participation. “I ask the population to participate,” Kurz said: “It is better to spend half an hour in the test than to spend weeks locked up.”
The chancellor was “quite satisfied” with the turnout so far, although not even a third of the population of Tirol and Vorarlberg had been screened. It was possible to find more than 1000 infected people who would have otherwise infected other people. Kurz wants to adhere to the voluntary nature of testing, but he also believes that an incentive system for the next wave is possible. We are talking about a reward for participating in the test, similar to the gastronomic voucher of 50 euros from the city of Vienna. And Kurz also believes that independent acceptance of home testing, proposed by SP chief Pamela Rendi Wagner, is feasible in eight to ten weeks.
The decision on the second test wave follows
The government wanted to discuss how the massive testing will continue in a video conference on Monday, as Kurz announced. Therefore, the decision on the date of the second round should be made this week.
Kurz has little to gain from Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler’s (Greens) initiative to extend travel restrictions: he would find it “sensible if we keep Europe without borders,” the chancellor said. He took Kogler’s proposal from the media. Basically, the temporary focus on the holiday season is “helpful and appropriate.”
In Vienna, where the test roads are not fully used, the conditions for participation are being relaxed again. With immediate effect, tests without registration are also possible at the fairgrounds. According to Ludwig, this will allow people without Internet access to participate. Records are still required for the test lanes in Stadthalle and Marx-Halle. Testing will continue in Vienna until December 13.
(WHAT)
