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The increase in new infections is dramatic. How can a lockdown be averted? Federal Chancellor Kurz explains when this happens.
Record increases – day in, day out: The number of infections in Austria has shot up in recent days! On Saturday, 24 October, a rise of 3,614 new infections was recorded. It is questionable whether the new measures, which will come into force today, Sunday, will lead to a decrease in the number of new infections.
In view of this ever worsening situation, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz urges the Austrians to change their social behavior. The more consistently we act, the greater the chance of preventing a second lockdown,” he told the “Kurier” (Sunday edition).
In doing so, he called for three rules in particular to be followed consistently: Keep your distance, wear masks and reduce social contacts. In this context, he also reminds of one of the new rules: “Six people are allowed indoors, twelve outdoors.
So far, the government has been in good spirits and has indicated that no lockdown will be necessary if the measures are observed. However, a tightening of the restrictions is quite possible, the “Kurier” quoted the Chancellor. Should further measures actually become necessary, the population would be informed quickly. In short, “leaves no doubt” that he considers a tightening of the restrictions likely. He explained his position to the “Kurier” as follows: “In Austria, the pace is accelerating. From a doubling of new infections within four weeks, we are just making the leap to a doubling within two weeks. If this trend is not stopped, this will not mean 6,000 new cases per day in December, but in November.
He is aware of the fact that “many people do not want to believe this, but the situation is extremely serious, the situation is coming to a head. In addition, the newspaper quoted the Chancellor as saying that we are “far from having reached the maximum number of infected people”.
Unless the rapid pace of the newly recorded cases slow down, Kurz has similar predictions for Austria as for other European countries where (partial) lockdowns and curfews are currently in place, where schools, restaurants and stores are closed. But: “At the moment, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen,” says Kurz according to the “Kurier”.
Kurz is certain that we all have the same goals: on the one hand, “to prevent an overload of intensive care capacities in Austria’s hospitals” and, on the other, to overcome the economic crisis as best we can. He therefore reiterated that “the more consistently the rules are observed, the fewer infected persons, the less strain on hospitals and the less damage to the economy and jobs” would be the result.
As Anschober also explained at the press conference on Friday, the Epidemic Law stipulates that a lockdown is not permitted as long as intensive care capacities are still available in the hospitals. However, the Minister of Health also emphasized that a lockdown would even be mandatory if the health care system was threatening to collapse. The Chancellor also has an opinion in this regard, he said in the “Kurier” newspaper, that “no federal government in the world” can allow “that people in medical emergency situations cannot be treated.
But this is not yet the case in this country. Nevertheless, Kurz recalled that this is a current situation. “All those who say that we do not yet have a problem in our hospitals, they are right today, but with the emphasis on today,” the newspaper continues to quote him.
— hp, Spurce: kurier.at and heute.at. Picture: screenshot msn.com
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