[ad_1]
Vienna / Bratislava (dpa) – To curb the sharp increase in the number of coronavirus infections, the Austrian government wants to present new measures on Saturday.
Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) wishes to inform the public at a press conference (4.30 pm) in Vienna. Meanwhile, the first round of nationwide mass corona testing is starting in Slovakia to detect previously unknown sources of infection through rapid tests.
The measures envisaged in Austria and since when will they apply have been left open. The media speculates on a partial closure similar to the German measures with the closure of restaurants and leisure facilities. In addition, night-out restrictions were the subject of debate. An unconfirmed draft regulation circulating in the media on Friday called for a ban on leaving private rooms between 8 pm and 6 am, except for specific valid reasons.
Kurz cited 6,000 new infections per day as a critical value to further strengthen measures to prevent hospitals from becoming overloaded. Austria, which has just under 9 million inhabitants, recorded a record 5,627 new cases in 24 hours on Friday, more than 1,000 cases more than the last record reached the day before. The government warns of an overload of intensive care units beginning in mid-November if the numbers continue to rise.
Slovakia also uses massive tests to detect sources of infection. This weekend, the military is due to establish around 5,000 acceptance points for mass tests across the country, including in schools and town halls. Rapid antigen tests are used, giving a result in 15 to 30 minutes, but are considered less reliable than PCR tests.
The initiator of the project is the populist-conservative Prime Minister Igor Matovic, in power since March. One of the critics is the state medical association, which spoke of a waste of resources. The second round of testing will continue next weekend, November 7-8. Participation is voluntary. But only those who can test negative are exempt from applicable exit restrictions.
In a test conducted in four districts on the border with Poland a week ago, almost four percent of the participants tested positive. Since the start of the pandemic, authorities have recorded more than 55,000 corona infections and 212 deaths. However, Slovakia only counts the deceased for whom another cause of death has been excluded. The EU member state has almost 5.5 million inhabitants.
On the Icelandic island in the North Atlantic, stricter corona measures will be applied from Saturday due to the increasing number of infections. The maximum number of participants in the meeting will be reduced from 20 to 10. Up to 30 people are allowed to attend funerals; A maximum of 50 customers is now allowed in pharmacies and grocery stores. Sporting events and theatrical performances are prohibited, swimming pools, bars and discos are closed. Restaurants with alcoholic beverages must close at 9:00 p.m. The stricter measures are expected to apply until November 17. The infection process almost came to a halt on the island of around 360,000 residents in the summer, but then accelerated.
Belgium is particularly affected by the corona virus. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced new measures after a crisis meeting in Brussels. Most stores must close on Mondays, except for supermarkets. There are still night curfews. Bars, restaurants and cafes, cultural and sports venues are already closed anyway. Contact restrictions will be further stiffened. In the future, Belgians will only be able to receive one visitor per week at home; for singles, there are two. School holidays will run until November 15. According to the European Health Agency, Belgium currently has the highest number of corona infections in the European Union in terms of population.
The United States has now recorded more than 9 million coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic. This came out of data from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on Friday. The United States recorded the highest absolute number of detected infections, followed by India with more than eight million cases and Brazil, where around 5.5 million infections have been recorded. The number of new infections recently reached an average of 75,000 per day. By Thursday, for example, Johns Hopkins even reported more than 88,000 new infections.
