No decision on easing of COVID 19 measures on Monday

Spread the love

Read Time:2 Minute, 13 Second

On Friday, the 3,000 mark was surpassed for the first time in three months with 3,126 new infections. From Friday to Saturday, Austria again registered more than 3,000 new infections: 3,023 new cases were reported within 24 hours.

On Saturday, the 7-day incidence was 199.17.

At the beginning of February, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober named an incidence of 200 as a clear upper limit above which the lockdown would have to be tightened again throughout Austria.

On Monday, talks between the government and experts, the opposition and provincial governors are expected accordingly.

And they will probably not yet bring the opening steps of the Corona measures longed for by many.

No decisions are pending for the period after Easter, it was said on Saturday as published by APA. The goal of the federal government was to open the Schanigärten and thus the outdoor gastronomy on March 27 Austria-wide.

SPÖ leader Pamela-Rendi Wagner had previously warned of relaxations in view of steadily rising infection figures.

The fact that the “opening summit” on Monday, desired above all by catering trade and tourism, was canceled, as some media had reported, was not confirmed. However, they would only confer by video on Monday morning, and it was still too early to make any decisions. “We still want to monitor the situation next week,” the Chancellor’s Office said. Questions such as a guest garden opening from 27 March thus still remain open.

With the illness of health minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) the shift of the decisions might have nothing to do. The minister, who was out due to an infection, will be ready for action again on Monday, was assured in the health department.

Rendi-Wagner had previously demanded that the government discuss measures on Monday to counteract the increase: “Loosening would be the opposite,” the former health minister told APA. Further steps in this direction would lead to intensive care units reaching their limits even faster. She pleaded for the “path of safety and reason”.

Unlike most SPÖ provincial politicians, Rendi-Wagner is also currently opposed to opening bars: “With 3,000 new infections per day with a rising trend and a low vaccination rate, further relaxations are far too great a risk.”

According to Rendi-Wagner, the goal should be permanent relaxations with stable low infection figures. Rather than opening early in February, she said, we should have waited a few more weeks: “Then we’d have more stable lower numbers today and could open permanently at Easter instead of risking hospital overload.” As important as testing is, it cannot be relied on alone.