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Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) expects a “clear return to normality” in the first half of 2021, provided that an effective vaccine is available, Kurz said yesterday at the 37th Vorarlberg Economic Forum. He could not yet say whether the government would respond to the second wave by tightening measures. The evaluation of the measures taken is currently being carried out. “You have to give me another day or two,” Kurz said.
Current situation “extremely serious”
He assumes that vaccination of certain parts of the population can be started in the first half of 2021 and that it will be possible to get the pandemic under control, said the Chancellor. He described the current situation as “extremely serious”.
He associated this with the “request to all to support the measures”. The mass of infections was taking place in the private sector. As in large parts of Europe, “the number of infections is so high that the intensive care medical capacity is reaching absolute limits”. This is the reason why “hard measures” had to be taken.
“Challenging” weeks are still waiting
How the winter will run – also economically – is still extremely difficult to estimate. In other countries, such as Israel, it is apparent that a second lockdown is taking effect. “But it’s in the stars whether we will get as far down in infection figures as we did in spring,” Kurz said. If the measures are relaxed too quickly after a lockdown, the infection figures will rise again rapidly. “We will therefore have to continue living with restrictions,” said the Chancellor.
Due to the second wave, the coming weeks would also be “challenging”. The travel, gastronomy and hotel sectors were severely affected by the lockdown. More than 20,000 applications for CoV assistance have already been received from the catering industry. The businesses will be paid 80 percent of the turnover from last November, “the first funds are beginning to flow”, Kurz said.
hp, Source:ORF.at/agencies. Picture: pixabay.com
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