Vienna. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) on Friday no longer ruled out an opening of gastronomy still in March. This is, however, dependent on the infection situation. Previously, the government had planned only on Tuesday further relaxation steps for “around Easter” at the earliest. The Chamber of Commerce had since then, however, intensively pushed for relaxations despite the Corona infection figures rising again.
As already announced, the government wants to consult again on March 1 with experts and the states about opening steps and “then hopefully implement them in March,” as Kurz said on Friday after consultations with industry representatives from gastronomy and tourism. However, the decisions depend on the further infection events, as the chancellor qualified. “If these rise sharply, openings make no sense,” Kurz said.
Into the realm of possibility, he said, was a “perhaps earlier opening” because hotel owners are now no longer opposed to entry testing. “The tide has turned,” with all industry representatives now in favor of the entry testing system, which allows more freedom in the pandemic, Kurz said. The concept of testing has worked well for hairdressers and other body-related service providers, he said.
- sources: orf “Zeit im Bild” und oe24.at
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