Until now, mouth and nose protection had to be worn in the corridors and in the toilets, among other things. In the class itself, masks have not had to be worn for a long time.
Of course you leave yourself a loophole. In positive cases, the obligation can be reintroduced (temporarily) at the affected locations. In addition, preparations are being made for the autumn together with the Ministry of Health and playing through several variants, emphasized Polaschek. New measures would then have to be “part of an overall strategy of the federal government”, as the minister emphasized.
Polaschek also confirmed that the mask requirement for unvaccinated teachers will also drop from Monday. Nevertheless, all people who feel unsafe in the school premises would of course have the opportunity to continue to wear a mask voluntarily, the minister emphasized. The fact that the mask requirement is also the message that the pandemic is now “over” would not be interpreted by Polaschek that way.
According to Polaschek, the weekly PCR test in schools should be retained “until further notice,” “as long as it seems necessary”. Until Easter, the schools were tested at least twice a week by PCR and once by an antigen test, since Easter there has only been one PCR per week. Polaschek did not promise that the mask requirement could also fall with the schools in other areas, but referred to Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens).
Masks are still mandatory in these areas
Nevertheless, the measure has further reduced the number of places where masks are still to be worn. It is obligatory to put it on in public transport, taxis, essential shops, banks, drugstores, pharmacies, at the office as well as in care and health facilities.
Union calls for the end of the mask requirement in the food trade
Union calls for the end of the mask requirement in essential trade
The criticizes the fact that the mask requirement continues to apply in essential trade union GPA. The phones are not ringing at the moment, and complaints from food retail workers are increasing. The mask should therefore fall in the entire trade, the union representatives demanded in a broadcast on Wednesday.
“Situation of complete absurdity”
The federal government has created a situation of “complete absurdity,” says the chairwoman of the GPA union, Barbara Teiber. While thousands are allowed to celebrate without a mask and there are no access restrictions in the taverns, retail employees have to work for hours with FFP2 masks. “There’s no medical justification for that, it’s simply pandemic mismanagement,” says Teiber.
The GPA chair calls for equality for all retail employees and thus for the end of the mask requirement in all retail trade. The union therefore also supports the petition for the abolition of the mask requirement, which the trade association launched on Good Friday. Over 8,000 people have signed the petition so far.
The Spar retail chain is also against another mask requirement in the food trade, Spar spokeswoman Nicole Berkmann emphasized to the APA today. However, compliance with the existing mask requirement is still unproblematic.
FPÖ and NEOS welcome the mask requirement
In any case, the FPÖ welcomed the case of compulsory masks in schools, which in any case only came about under pressure from the Freedom Party, said education spokesman Hermann Brückl via broadcast. However, it could only be a first step, because: “The end of the large-scale and expensive PCR tests must finally come.” NEOS education spokeswoman Martina Künsberg-Sarre was also pleased with the “step that is in fact long overdue”.
Polaschek explained why the case of the mask requirement was announced in the Ministry of Education of all places and not in the Council of Ministers foyer – which was canceled for “organizational reasons” that were not specified – by saying that the measure affects his area. However, ministers had already announced countless measures in their departments after the government meeting in the Federal Chancellery. Polaschek did not respond to the question of whether the cancellation of the foyer was related to the 3,412 “reported” corona deaths that became known the day before.
Source: Nachrichten
