A corona summit of the government around Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will take place in Austria on Monday.
Politics, trade and the population are calling for the measures to be relaxed further.
The number of new corona infections * in Austria continues to rise.
A Corona * summit will take place on Monday in the Federal Chancellery in Vienna.
The government around Chancellor Sebastian Kurz should consider regional openings from March 22nd.
(see update from March 1st, 2:25 p.m.)
This news ticker is updated regularly.
Update, 7 p.m.:
In Austria there will be easing in the state of Vorarlberg from March 15.
Due to the comparatively low number of new infections, sport, culture and gastronomy are now to be gradually opened.
On Monday, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz confirmed the easing in the westernmost state.
For the rest of the country, the aim is to open up outdoor dining.
"We start outdoors before we can venture into further indoor opening steps," said Kurz.
Access tests should also play a role, a quarter of the population is now to be tested every week, as announced at the press conference.
Large areas of vaccination in Austria are to be carried out in March and April.
“We know that it's been a hell of a long year for the population,” said Kurz at the press conference.
The opening of restaurants and schools was also defended.
As Kurz also said, 120,000 people who were unemployed or on short-time work are back in work.
Corona in Austria: Short press conference in the ticker - unique test run in Vorarlberg
Update, 6.48 p.m .:
“We think it's good to take this step in Vorarlberg.
We don't expect any major movements within Austria either, Viennese won't drive to Vorarlberg for several hours, ”says Kurz about the experiment.
Health Minister Anschober makes it clear once again that a "safety net" made up of various measures should help in high-risk areas.
Regions with positive numbers should continue to be rewarded.
Update, 6:38 p.m .:
"From March 15, there should also be relaxation for children and adolescents, they suffer from a lack of contact and exercise.
In connection with the catering industry, we will start opening steps here from March 15, ”said Wallner about the test run in Vorarlberg.
Update, 6:36 p.m .:
"It is a crucial moment for Vorarlberg, our federal state is moving forward with this step.
From March 15th we will open with responsibility and courage in various areas ”, announced Markus Wallner, Governor of Vorarlberg.
“We were already at the top of the incidence, now we are in a good starting position.
We're at 70 at a 7 day incidence and testing intensely.
That is why a regional opening step must now be possible with this test. "
Update, 6:28 p.m.:
Michael Ludwig, Mayor of Vienna, is now speaking to the press.
“We carried out more than three million tests in Vienna alone,” says Ludwig.
School sports will also be allowed here from March 27th, and outdoor restaurants and pubs should also be able to open again from this day.
Corona in Austria: Short press conference in the ticker - Anschober hopes for successful vaccination stages
Update, 6:26 p.m .:
"We want focus controls in hotspots, if we can dampen these regional peaks, we have made a big step," said Anschober.
They also want to continue to sell the FFP2 masks and enforce a "safety net in districts where we have a high seven-day incidence of over 400".
Update, 6:24 p.m.:
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober first speaks about the perspective after Easter.
“It's getting warmer, so the risk is reduced a bit.
We assume that after Easter there will be a vaccination stage that is behind us.
The goal is to vaccinate a million people, ”said Anschober.
Above all, high-risk patients over 80, some teachers and health workers should first be vaccinated.
Update, 6:22 p.m.:
From March on, “over 30,000 people per day” will be vaccinated, and in April even 50,000, as Kurz explains.
The vaccination must now be organized in order to protect the risk groups and thus gradually relieve the hospitals.
"The goal of returning to normal by the summer is realistic, but it must be done gradually," said the Chancellor.
Update, 6:16 p.m .:
"We are the first country in the world where you can now get tests for at home in the pharmacy," says Kurz, who wants to continue testing on a large scale.
Kurz recommends that older people reduce contacts and wear FFP2 masks until they are vaccinated.
Update, 6.16 p.m.:
"In Vorarlberg we will relax in the areas of sport, culture and gastronomy," says Kurz.
For the time being, the openings will only be pulled through in one federal state.
Corona in Austria: Kurz defends openings in February - "Positive balance after three weeks"
Update, 6.15 p.m.:
The number of infections has increased, in the east the incidence was over 200, in Vorarlberg, however, it was 70, so Kurz.
Update, 6:13 p.m .:
“While neighboring countries like Germany are in lockdown, three weeks ago we decided to initiate opening steps.
After three weeks we draw a positive balance of these steps ", says Kurz at the beginning" We have brought 120,000 people back into employment, these people were able to return to their work or have found a job, "said the Chancellor.
Update, 6:11 p.m.:
Now the press conference with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz starts.
Update, 6 p.m.:
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will open the press round shortly.
In a TV interview at oe24, Carinthia's governor Dr.
Peter Kaiser already said that the opening of the gastro in Austria is planned for the end of March, at least the pub gardens should be able to open outside.
School sports should also be open again from mid-March, and the cultural area should open from April.
The exact plan will be presented shortly.
Corona in Austria: press conference with Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz postponed
Update from March 1, 5:08 p.m.:
The press conference will not take place at 5 p.m., the results of the Corona summit will be presented by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz one hour late from 6 p.m.
In addition to the Federal Chancellor, Markus Wallner, Governor of Vorarlberg, will also attend the press conference.
It is speculated that the state of Vorarlberg will relax, so the region could act as a kind of test area.
Update from March 1, 4:35 p.m.:
The epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer was part of the group of experts on Monday morning who took part in the government's deliberations.
In the run-up to the summit, she announced that she would recommend the government headed by Chancellor Kurz not to announce any further easing.
The situation is "very complex," said Schernhammer of the APA.
"The situation is very volatile, you cannot predict in which direction it will change," says the expert.
Therefore, she advises the government not to give an opening date.
"We can be happy if what is open can remain open," Schernhammer clarified in the run-up to the Corona summit.
According to media reports, the government around Chancellor Kurz agreed on regional easing according to a zone model during the deliberations on Monday.
A press conference has been announced around 5 p.m.
The results of the Corona summit are to be presented there.
Corona in Austria: Rendi-Wagner considers further openings to be "highly irresponsible"
Update from March 1st, 3:28 pm:
“We expect a specific time to be mentioned.
Postponing again without a date would be unacceptable, ”said Mario Pulker, head of the catering division at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, on Monday to APA.
The hosts hope that the first steps will be taken in March.
Pulker said he was "very excited" to see the results of the Corona summit.
If an opening date is decided, this must also be adhered to.
"Unlocking and locking up is deadly, the factories are all the more dead," explained Pulker.
Peter Lieber, President of the Austrian Trade Association, demanded: “Either all companies and institutions are allowed to unlock immediately or we will all go into a complete lockdown again until after Easter.
Half-measures, as the figures show, are visibly counterproductive. ”He is convinced that the government's decision can only be“ unlock ”.
“It remains inexplicable that restaurants, theaters or hotels are not allowed to open in spite of clever prevention concepts,” says Lieber.
SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner believes further opening steps with a view to the number of infections in Austria, however, are "highly irresponsible." An increase in new infections and the number of intensive care patients can be clearly seen.
“There is no time for experiments now,” says Rendi-Wagner.
+
Party leader of the SPÖ: Pamela Rendi-Wagner.
© Georg Hochmuth / dpa
Corona in Austria: regional easing after a short summit?
"Unlock" from an incidence of 100
Update from March 1, 2:25 p.m.:
The government is said to have agreed on regional easing in Austria at the Corona summit on Monday.
The
oe24
reports
, citing information from government
circles
.
The opening steps are expected to take place on March 22nd.
"Every federal state that brings its incidence towards 100 by then will be allowed to unlock carefully," the news portal quotes a government insider.
The Italian zone model is to serve as a model.
In “green zones”, with an incidence below 100, there should also be the first steps towards opening up restaurants, hotels, sports and culture.
"We'll be very careful when it comes to gastronomy, however, as it could just
amount to
opening the
pub gardens
at the beginning," said the informant from
oe24
.
The government is therefore also considering introducing further tightening for zones with a particularly high incidence - over 250.
Vorarlberg, currently with a 7-day incidence of 73, should therefore initiate further easing.
Governor Markus Wallner (ÖVP) is said to have advertised openings in his state to both Chancellor Kurz and Health Minister Anschober on Sunday, reports the
Vorarlberger Nachrichten
.
Wallner's office also confirmed this when asked by the APA.
The Vorarlberg governor said that there was a need for regional leeway for relaxation.
In eastern Austria, where the incidence values are significantly higher, people are not very enthusiastic about the idea of regional easing.
Lower Austria currently has the highest incidence value of all federal states at 196.2.
Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) demanded at a press conference before the talks on Monday: "If you think about loosening or cautious openings, you need a uniform nationwide strategy."
+
Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (l., Greens), Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (middle, ÖVP) and Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (r., Greens) at the Corona summit.
© Helmut Fohringer / dpa
Corona summit in Austria: Relaxation for gastronomy, hotel and culture required
First report from March 1:
Vienna - on Sunday more than 2100 new corona infections were reported in Austria - the highest Sunday value so far in 2021. The more contagious corona mutations are spreading further in the country.
The 7-day incidence in the Alpine republic is around 160 three weeks after all shops have opened. On Monday, the government led by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) will advise on how to proceed with the corona pandemic.
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) described the development of the numbers on Sunday as a "worrying turnaround".
The main driver of the increasing numbers is the spread of the corona mutants *.
“In the majority of the Austrian federal states, the British variant * already dominates.
Since the risk of infection is around 30 percent higher, the number of infections increases in line with the spread of the variant, ”explained Anschober.
Nevertheless, the demands from politics, business and the population for further easing are increasing.
“It must be possible to go to the landlord with an entry test,” demanded, for example, the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP).
The Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) demands at least an opening of the pub gardens.
Chamber of Commerce General Secretary Karlheinz Kopf was optimistic about the opening of restaurants and hotels in the run-up to the Corona * summit.
“We expect opening steps to take place on March 15,” he said in the
ORF
magazine “Hohes Haus”.
Corona in Austria: regional openings?
A federal state could become a "test area"
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz *, Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) and Health Minister Rudolf Anschober met on Sunday for consultations in the Federal Chancellery in Vienna.
Several media then reported, citing information from government circles, that from March 15 there will probably be no major openings in the catering, hotel and culture sectors.
On Monday, the APA news agency reported, with reference to government circles, that a regionally different approach is probably being considered.
Accordingly, there could be easing in Vorarlberg.
The western state would then become a kind of “test area”.
On Sunday, the 7-day incidence in Vorarlberg, at 72.8, was significantly lower than in the eastern federal states of Vienna (186.6) and Lower Austria (196.2).
Corona in Austria: Briefly presented summit results in the afternoon
"We have been recommending for a long time on a model basis that something can very well be done on a regional level," said mathematician Niki Popper in
Ö1
- "Morgenjournal".
One can, on the one hand, “attract more regionally and, on the other hand, open up more regionally.” In addition to the absolute numbers, other factors such as the spread of mutations should also be taken into account.
At around 5 p.m. on Monday, Chancellor Kurz will present the results of today's Corona summit in a press conference.
Before that, there will be an “advisory marathon” in the Federal Chancellery.
The government has been consulting with a large panel of experts since 10 a.m.
Then representatives of the opposition are switched on.
The provincial governors also attend the deliberations in the early afternoon.
(ph)
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List of rubric lists: © Eibner-Pressefoto / EXPA / Schroetter via www.imago-images.de