Mask requirement outdoors and the obligation of retail and service companies to demand 2G proof from their customers: Stricter corona regulations have been in effect since today. The police are taking this as an opportunity to intensify their controls.
The “action sharp” is directed against “a few unteachable”, said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (VP) yesterday. “It is at the same time an” action of fairness “towards the majority of the population who adhere to the protective measures.” The aim is to keep the spread of Omikron as low as possible and to strengthen the resilience of the critical infrastructure, according to Karner.
Since mid-November, after the lockdown for unvaccinated people came into force, there have been 1.6 million reviews nationwide, and 12,000 violations have been punished, said Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security. As of today, the police will not carry out 2G checks in front of the store entrances, because this is the operator’s duty. But officials, also in civilian clothes, will “check whether the controls are being carried out” in the shops, says State Police Director Andreas Pilsl in an interview with OÖN. The curfew in the catering trade (10 p.m.) should also be checked again more intensively. The main focus of the police’s control activities also includes tourism hotspots.
The standby unit (BE) and two day patrols and one night patrol per district are responsible for the controls. In addition, each police station has been instructed to conduct regular official acts in their area of responsibility, Ruf said.
“Companies are our partners”
The minister emphasized that the roughly 80,000 companies affected across Austria were “partners”. The police have drawn up “recommendations for action” for employees in the form of video tutorials.
It explains, for example, how to recognize falsified evidence and how best to deal with unruly customers. A round table with business representatives is to take place today.
Linz: With stamp in the passage
“We cannot lock our house because we also have a supermarket and a vaccination route that are accessible to everyone,” says Julia Kretz, the center manager of the Passage in Linz, OÖN. However, security forces are posted in front of the entrance to check the 2G verification on a voluntary basis. Those who take part receive a stamp on the back of their hand, which is used as proof in the respective shop. “We see that as customer service,” says Kretz. Without a stamp, visitors have to show their proof in front of each shop entrance. She is “not happy” with the situation, says the Linz center boss. “But we have to do everything we can to ensure that there is no more lockdown.”
Source: Nachrichten
