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PHOTO: Reuters
Austria is the first country in Europe to loosen restrictive measures against the coronavirus.
The process will be gradual and will be accompanied by improved controls and new testing strategies. Within a few days, the increase in new cases of infected people is well below five percent, and the number of hospitalized patients is stable, BTA reports.
At a press conference, Education Minister Rudolf Anschober expressed his satisfaction with the success achieved, but added that this was only the first stage, the end result is yet to come, and requires strict compliance with all restrictions. The post-Catholic easing of the measures foresees a second phase in the fight against the virus: public transport can be used freely, but the use of masks will be mandatory.
Stores with an area of up to 400 square meters will be opened, as well as stores for building materials, garden and houseplants, and only one buyer will enter the small stores of up to 20 square meters. The use of a mask is also mandatory at all points of sale. After the first of May it is planned to open hairdressing salons, and from mid-May open the restaurants.
Despite the strict controls required by the government, the results of the new measures can be seen later in the statistics, as the symptoms of the disease appear several days after infection. The government’s strategy is to proceed with faster tests, and the Austrian Red Cross Stop Crown phone app will also help to record contacts and limit infected people. The application is voluntary and so far has been downloaded by more than 200,000 people.
The new strategy also provides for increased patient testing in hospitals, nursing homes, care company employees, and supermarket employees. Gradually, hospitals will become more focused on other patients and delayed operations will be performed.
A 40 percent reduction in heart attacks recorded by cardiology clinics may be due to unreported heart attacks received at home, increasing the risk of death. Austrian hospitals currently have 20,000 beds available for COVID-19 patients, but the data does not indicate an increase in hospitalizations. This allows part of the beds to be used for patients with other conditions.
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