After a marathon of talks, the government will decide this weekend on how to proceed with the Corona pandemic. In view of the new virus mutation, there is no longer any thought of easing the lockdown; Carinthia’s Governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) expected the lockdown to be extended “well into February” after a meeting of the provinces with the Chancellor. The government is still consulting with experts and social partners on Saturday, and a decision is expected on Sunday.
After recently also in Austria more and more suspected cases of the more contagious British variant of the virus appeared – and Friday a Styrian case was already definitely confirmed – the provincial governors and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) agreed in their long conversation Friday evening that the situation is now very tense. The risk of a rapid spread of the new virus variant is too great for the easing that many had hoped for, Kaiser told APA.
Scientists already assume that the viral mutation will spread more widely because infection rates are still high even after three weeks of lockdown. The government will gather the experts’ opinions at a round of talks on Saturday morning, after which the invited experts will make a press statement in the Chancellor’s Office. After that, the government will consult with the social partners. A government press conference is planned for Sunday.
- Source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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