That would not be worth mentioning if there were not a spicy detail: The chairwoman of the Reds in the Ländle is Gabi Sprickler-Falschlunger, the wife of Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens), who officially announced the quarantine on Tuesday afternoon. As early as Monday, the Vorarlberg state party leader was quoted as follows in a broadcast: “An end to the quarantine in view of the autumn wave that is just around the corner and the already high summer numbers is certainly the wrong decision by Health Minister Rauch”.
The post made the rounds on Twitter on Tuesday. “Could be an interesting discussion at home,” remarked ZiB moderator Armin Wolf smugly.
“Theatre is pre-programmed”
In doing so, it hits the same note as its red colleagues in Vienna, Burgenland and Carinthia. SPÖCity councilor Peter Hacker expressed the fear that a new lockdown could threaten in the fall. “The theater for autumn and winter is inevitable,” said the SP city councilor: “By September at the latest, the numbers will be flying around our ears.” It is to be feared that the hospitals in some federal states will be overloaded again in the autumn. In part, that is already the case.
The Vienna City Council pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the situation as worrying and called for action. The German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also warned against easing. “Only we think we know better,” Hacker criticized that the federal government had declared the pandemic over.
“Cooperation is not a one-way street”
He once again complained that the three SPÖ-led federal states only received the documents during yesterday’s federal-state round. “Collaboration is a two-way street,” he noted. Whether Vienna is now taking its own, stricter measures can only be said after one has worked through these documents in two to three days.
Like the day before, Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) out. In view of the around 300,000 people who commute to Vienna every day, that makes no sense. Hacker resolutely countered the accusation that only Vienna did not register the data in the hospital register. This is a “true hoax”.
Doskozil against “abrupt departure”
From the office of Burgenland’s Governor Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) it was only said on Tuesday’s request that his position had already been sufficiently communicated. Doskozil had spoken out against an “abrupt departure” from the quarantine rule. There would be a lack of a basis for decision-making and expert recommendations, including with regard to the protection of particularly vulnerable population groups. However, the governor could have imagined a gradual change in strategy.
Video: Health Minister Rauch officially announced the end of the quarantine obligation on Tuesday afternoon
“At least a discussion expected”
Carinthia’s health officer Beate Prettner (SPÖ) was disappointed after a video conference between the state health officers and the Minister of Health. “At least today we would have expected to discuss the 180-degree turnaround in dealing with Corona, namely the planned end of the quarantine.” In fact, the topic was dealt with in 20 minutes, open questions would remain. It is about the task of “the last set of instruments to slow down Corona”.
Prettner worries that even more employees in the health and care sector will be absent due to illness. “The staffing situation will worsen.” In addition, it is completely unclear how one can “separate high-risk employees from infected work colleagues and thus protect them” in the future. the SPÖ-Politician criticized that, according to the ministry, no additional funds were planned for accompanying measures such as wastewater monitoring and visitor management in health and care facilities. She also complained that the new decrees were not yet available.
“Introduced as fixed”
Lower Austria’s Health Minister Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig (SPÖ) also criticized: “It was not possible to discuss the content because the project had already been presented as fixed.” We take note of this and will adapt the systems. Detailed questions were largely left open and should be answered in writing. Furthermore, some decrees, for example in connection with contact tracing, would have to be changed. “We will also have to monitor very closely how the new rules will affect the number of occupants in the hospitals,” said Königsberger-Ludwig on request – and she advised “everyone who has tested positive and feels sick to stay at home “.
Approval from the ÖVP side
All-round approval came from the ÖVP side. Salzburg’s governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) sees the end of the quarantine as an important signal that the pandemic is becoming endemic. “It stays and becomes part of our normal life,” he said to the APA on the sidelines of a late afternoon visit to a gas storage facility. Corona is moving in the direction of a flu. “If you’re sick and feel sick, have a fever or aching limbs and you’re feeling bad, you go home. And when you feel better, back to work – without having to go into quarantine.” This is also an act of self-responsibility and trust in the self-responsibility of the Austrians.
When asked, Tyrolean Health Minister Annette Leja (ÖVP) was convinced that the “current mild variants” allowed the “recent decisions”. The state supports the “measures and assessment of the experts”. But she added: “In future it will be all the more true: if you are ill, stay at home. The fact is that the population is now also required, because personal responsibility is more important than ever.” Above all, older people and risk groups need to be protected, and Leja never tired of emphasizing that up-to-date vaccination protection is essential.
“Keep Being Mindful”
The Styrian Health Minister Juliane Bogner-Strauß (ÖVP) believes that, given the current hospital bed occupancy and the prevailing virus variants, it makes sense to “rely on traffic restrictions. This measure can already be observed in many European countries.” The reintroduction of the telephone sick note and the risk group regulation are important building blocks, said Bogner-Strauß on request. “Nevertheless, it is still important to be careful. If the situation changes, the measures would of course have to be re-evaluated.”
Medical Association President Johannes Steinhart took note of the end of the quarantine, but called for accompanying measures. Should more restrictive measures be necessary due to the data situation, politicians must react quickly. In any case, “to monitor the situation, the test regime in surgeries for asymptomatic patients needs to be restarted immediately,” said Steinhart in a broadcast. The chamber president demanded that doctors in private practice should decide on sick leave and restrictions on movement.
Source: Nachrichten
