Josef Leimer has a goal. In January Braunau should no longer be the district with the lowest vaccination rate in the country. But this is not going to be easy: “In some communities, even a few opponents of vaccinations are enough to make noise and thus draw many people to their side,” says the local chief of Helpfau-Uttendorf and spokesman for all mayors in the Braunau district. It is particularly problematic “that some general practitioners have advised citizens not to vaccinate,” says Leimer, referring to a report by OÖNachrichten.
When it comes to the vaccination rate, there are actually worlds between Upper Austria’s municipalities. The numbers range from 43.3 percent in Auerbach (Braunau district) to 77.2 percent in Goldwörth (Urfahr-Umgebung district). The country is responding with a major vaccination campaign that is running in the communities this week.
Bottom lights are waiting
But, of all places, the bottom-up municipalities of Auerbach and Pischelsdorf are waiting and do not want to start the campaign until January 2022. Many people in Auerbach have recovered, which is why the vaccination rate would be so low, suspects Mayor Josef Seidl (VP). He does not know how many of the 718 residents there are. Mayor Seidl is also of the opinion that “a survived infection, quasi a natural vaccination, yes the best protection” is. And the community wants to be there for everyone, for “vaccinated, unvaccinated and also for skeptics”.
Erich Priewasser in Höhnhart and Günther See in Eberstalzell (both VP) are local chiefs in communities with a very low vaccination rate. According to their own statement, they never tire of convincing vaccine skeptics of the advantages of immunization. “But it is not easy and sometimes it is really difficult,” says Priewasser. You are constantly confronted with fake news from social media that unsettled citizens would believe. It is similar to Mayor See in Eberstalzell: “I always say, folks, please vaccinate, but the hardliners just shut up. You can hardly get to them.” In any case, Höhnhart and Eberstalzell are part of this week’s vaccination campaign.
Individual mayors who campaign for the vaccination are exposed to attacks from those who oppose the vaccination, including club chairmen who publicly publicly opposed the community leadership. Not least because of this, Leimer and colleagues wrote a letter to club bosses. “Show solidarity right now before Christmas!” It says. One should trust doctors “and not the self-proclaimed” experts “from certain parties and social media”.
Martin Haider (VP) also has to assert himself against a party against the vaccination. He is mayor of Maria Neustift (Steyr-Land district), where the MFG received 26.7 percent of the votes in the past municipal council elections and became the second largest parliamentary group. Maria Neustift is also represented in the vaccination quota ranking of the ten worst municipalities in Upper Austria. “Many are simply unteachable. Of course, the MFG creates a good mood against the vaccination, that pulls people along,” says Haider.
“Some believe that they can’t get infected anyway because they have a healthy immune system and hardly any contact with other people.” Others would wait until the last minute, i.e. for compulsory vaccination.
Do the local politicians also get support from the state parties in their efforts to raise the vaccination quota? “Yes, of course,” says VP State Party Secretary Florian Hiegelsberger. At the district party conferences that are currently being held online, “we actively promote the vaccination to the mayors and officials and also provide arguments for it”. And what if a mayor doesn’t want to get going on this important issue? “Then we try to talk to him. We don’t put any pressure on, we try to convince him. Because pressure often creates counter-pressure,” says Hiegelsberger.
Vaccination advertising in showcases
Also the state SPÖ “does a lot in favor of vaccination. We provide mayors and officials with arguments and also call for vaccinations with a poster campaign in the showcases,” says SP state manager Georg Brockmeyer.
The situation at the FPÖ is different. “We are not against vaccination, but only against compulsory vaccination,” says the blue country manager Hubert Schreiner. Nevertheless, it is up to the local chiefs whether they want to advertise vaccination or not. “That is decided individually on site with us,” says Schreiner. Josef Maislinger, FP mayor in Eggelsberg, has decided on a vaccination campaign with “Eggelsberger vaccinate Eggelsberger”. And vaccination is also advertised in the FP community of Gaspoltshofen.
Source: Nachrichten
