At the end of March, the federal government said goodbye to the permanent free test regime. Instead, these are limited to a quota of five free PCR tests and five antigen tests per month, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said at a press conference on Tuesday: “Anyone who wants to test can continue to do so”. It remained unclear how the school tests would continue. Rauch referred to the responsibility of the Ministry of Education.
With the “good compromise” that has now been reached, there will continue to be sufficient free tests for everyone in Austria, Rauch was convinced. People in nursing and old people’s homes as well as symptomatic people should be given the opportunity to be tested more often: “That means by and large, if you need a free test, you can get it too.”
What changes with the quarantine
In addition, the quarantine rules are relaxed. As of Monday (March 21), contact persons who are not fully protected no longer have to isolate themselves for ten days, only traffic restrictions will then apply. You can continue to work and go shopping, but no longer to events. In addition, the focus on wastewater monitoring is to be increased.
Analysis of the new test strategy
With regard to the schools, Rauch spoke of a “close exchange” with Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP). He is in the process of working out a plan. The current regulation applies until the end of the school year. Whether the current test regime in the education sector will continue to apply after April 1 remained unanswered.
The Ministry of Education only said to the APA on Tuesday that the test strategy was in close coordination with the federal states and the Ministry of Health. Pupils currently have to test themselves for the corona virus three times a week, twice with the more meaningful PCR tests.
Rauch also emphasized in his press conference that he had not only sought agreement with the coalition partner ÖVP, but also with the federal states. It was possible to inform almost all state governors before the public announcement. The operational implementation is now being prepared in detail.
Furthermore, the pandemic is not over, said the Minister of Health, which is also shown by the highs in the number of infections. He takes expert demands, for example for the reintroduction of the mask requirement or the postponement of measures, seriously, but the decision was made to stick to the current path. Because, according to Rauch: This would only take effect when the wave was probably over, and moreover, overcrowding in the area of the hospital beds was not to be expected.
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Abolish quarantine? ministry brakes
So far, the quarantine has lasted ten days and you can test yourself free after five days if the CT value is over 30 and you are therefore no longer considered infectious. As reported yesterday by the OÖN, Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP) questions the quarantine rules. He was in favor of “we reassessing the quarantine rules in close cooperation with health experts and quickly – as in other European countries – adapting them to the current situation or abolishing them,” he said in the OÖN interview. The Ministry of Health braked on request. The segregation rules could not be changed so easily; this would require a technically sound assessment and justification as well as a legislative change process.
- More on the subject: Countries disagree on quarantine rules
The entire press conference to watch
Source: Nachrichten
