This is the result of a meeting between the government and provincial governors, some of which was held virtually on Friday evening. The current three-stage action plan has been adapted and two new stages introduced. What is new is that from level 3 – 400 intensive care beds with corona patients – the seven-day follow-up does not apply and the measures apply immediately after reaching the limit.
Two new levels
away Level 4, that is, when the intensive care beds are occupied by 25 percent, 2G is to be introduced for gastronomy, hotels, events as well as hospital and care visits. The “2.5G” rule then applies at the workplace, which means that only PCR tests are accepted as evidence.
away Level 5, which should come at 30 percent utilization, there should be a lockdown for unvaccinated people. How exactly this should look is unclear. However, with the 30 percent occupancy, which corresponds to 600 beds, a rather dramatic situation has already arisen. Because from 33 percent at the latest, it becomes finally critical in the intensive care units.
Currently level 1
Currently the country is on step 1 with 224 occupied intensive care beds, Level 2 comes to bear with 300 occupied beds. Then a 2G rule applies in night catering (and “similar settings”) as well as for events without assigned seats with more than 500 people, ie only those who have been vaccinated or recovered have access. This is already the case in Vienna.
level 3 With 400 beds or more, the antigen test becomes completely invalid. Only those who have been vaccinated, those who have recovered or who have a current PCR test would have access to settings that are subject to 3G.
This is what the step-by-step plan currently looks like, now it is to be expanded by two steps:
“Too many procrastinators and hesitants”
Chancellor Schallenberg and Health Minister Mückstein presented the results of the deliberations at a press conference late on Friday evening. Mückstein assumed that level 2 would soon be reached and once again sent a fiery appeal for vaccinations to all Austrians.
“We have too many procrastinators and hesitants,” said Schallenberg, describing the situation as “absurd”. He sees the vaccination as “the only breakwater and exit ticket from the pandemic”. From the current perspective, both politicians have ruled out a lockdown for those who have been vaccinated.
Video: Virologist Norbert Nowotny and political scientist Peter Filzmaier analyzed the announced announcement of further CoV measures in Figure 2.
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Increase vaccination coverage
It is important, together as the federal government, to clarify the further procedure in a timely and transparent manner, it said in a written statement from the Minister of Health before the start. The federal states are of course important partners here. “Our top priority is to increase the vaccination rate in Austria in order to get through autumn and winter safely and safely. The mutually agreed step-by-step plan and the measures anchored in it provide an important basis for this,” explained Mückstein.
“Development is cause for concern”
“We have to take note: the numbers are increasing, we still have – with emphasis on ‘still’ – a stable situation in the intensive care units. But I believe it is necessary that we take measures here directed towards the future – and now, because the development of the last few weeks gives cause for concern, “said Federal Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) on Friday after the EU summit in Brussels.
Critical voices from the countries
According to reports, critical voices from the countries were also heard at the meeting. According to reports, the Styrian governor Hermann Schützenhöfer (ÖVP) pushed the pace and made the federal government responsible, as it had declared the pandemic to be over before the summer. He wants to introduce 2G on a broad basis as soon as possible and in line with the FFP2 mask requirement that has long been in force in Vienna in all shops. In the run-up to the meeting, the federal states had not fully agreed whether the same or regional regulations should apply throughout the entire state. Vorarlberg and Burgenland in particular had advocated the latter.
