New infections with the corona virus are increasing rapidly in Austria.
Planned easing of the corona restrictions are on the brink.
The news ticker.
The number of Covid 19 cases is skyrocketing in Austria - experts speak of up to 5000 new infections at Easter.
(see update from March 15, 9.55 a.m.)
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) warns of “maximum damage” from the permanent lockdown.
(see update from March 14th, 10:10 am)
Planned easing of the Corona * restrictions will probably be postponed - from now on, regional action will be taken.
(see update from March 15, 1:55 p.m.)
This
news ticker on the corona crisis * in Austria
is updated regularly.
Update from March 15, 1:55 p.m .:
“I see the beginning of a third wave in Austria,” said Austria's Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober on Monday in
Ö1
-
“
Morning Journal”
.
“We have many in Europe.
That means: we have to do everything we can to prevent a situation like the one in autumn, ”the Green politician warned.
Recently, there was a clear increase in the number of infections in Austria.
Planned easing will therefore probably be postponed.
At today's meeting of the federal government around Chancellor Kurz with experts, governors and the opposition, the current situation will be analyzed.
"The corona situation in Austria is very different from region to region," said the group according to
oe24
.
Therefore, the federal government is said to have agreed on a further regionally differentiated approach with the federal states, the report goes on to say.
"The aim is to open up further, but with due caution and always under the motto: As much restriction as necessary, as much freedom as possible."
Corona in Austria: Experts predict 5000 new infections every day for Easter
Update from March 15, 9.55 a.m.:
If the infections continue to rise exponentially at this rate, there will be around 5000 new corona infections in Austria at Easter, according to the assessment of the Covid forecast consortium of the Ampel-Kommission.
“The high numbers speak for themselves at the moment.
The question now arises as to whether we can maintain the easing at all until Easter and do not have to act faster, ”said virologist Norbert Nowotny to the
Austrian
daily
.
"If everything continues like this, Austria will soon slip into the third wave," says Nowotny.
He also believes the numbers will continue to rise by Easter.
"The British virus variant in particular could cause problems and lead to further hospitalizations and more intensive care cases," the virologist continued.
"Now it is important to adhere even better to the measures in order to counteract a full lockdown," Nowotny appealed to the population.
Corona in Austria: Relaxation on the brink - Vorarlberg is allowed to slowly open as a pilot region
Update from March 15, 8:05 a.m.:
On Monday there are deliberations between Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP), Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) and the provincial governors.
The topic will be the currently increasing number of infections in the Alpine republic.
Decisions on how to proceed are not to be made today.
A corona summit with experts is planned for next Monday (March 22nd).
Further easing, such as the opening of the pub gardens, were actually planned for March 27th.
Due to the increasing corona numbers in Austria, this scenario seems increasingly unlikely.
The 7-day incidence is now over 200 - Anchober named this value in February as the limit for tightening the lockdown.
The opening of outdoor catering is "not realistic now,"
oe24
quoted
a government
insider
.
Accordingly, further easing is to be targeted in mid-April.
Vorarlberg is currently the only federal state in Austria with a 7-day incidence below 100.
On Monday the gastronomy is allowed to reopen there, as a pilot region with strict security concepts.
However, many inns have already announced in advance that they will remain closed.
There are also relaxations in the sports and cultural sector that only apply to the westernmost federal state.
Corona in Austria: Federal President Van der Bellen commemorates the victims of the pandemic
Update from March 14, 6:58 p.m
.: Austria's Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen thought of the corona dead in a televised
address
on Sunday evening.
In his speech, Van der Bellen had previously appealed to unity among the population.
The pandemic demanded a lot from everyone.
It is important to be considerate of each other.
Even if after a year of pandemic “we just feel more and more disillusionment, grant and displeasure in us with each passing day”.
The head of state was optimistic about the future.
"And how are you going now?
Well, as trivial as that sounds: every winter is followed by spring.
And it will start soon. ”Soon everyone will have the possibility of a vaccination and one will be happy to live again.
+
Austria's Federal President Van der Bellen commemorates the corona dead in a televised address.
© Peter Lechner / dpa
Corona in Austria - Bad numbers - Government opening summit was postponed
Update from March 14, 10:10 a.m.:
A corona summit was actually planned for the coming Monday in the Federal Chancellery in Vienna, at which further opening steps should be taken out of the lockdown.
After the number of daily new infections in Austria was last over 3,000 for the first time in around three months, the situation will be monitored in the coming week, the Chancellery said.
Accordingly, there are no decisions pending on Monday for the time after Easter.
The 7-day incidence in Austria on Sunday morning was 204.4.
Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) named the incidence of 200 as the limit above which the lockdown would have to be tightened nationwide.
SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner had already warned of an increase in the corona numbers before the decision to relax.
Now she called on the government to discuss a renewed tightening of the measures on Monday and pleaded for a "path of security and common sense".
Corona in Austria: Briefly warns of "maximum damage" through permanent lockdown
However, a video that Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) published on his Facebook account on Saturday makes the tightening or even a renewed lockdown seem unlikely.
"If you are always in permanent lockdown, then you have relatively low numbers, but maximum economic damage and it becomes more and more difficult for people to endure," Kurz explained in his video.
The personal burdens and psychological burdens would be "increasingly dramatic".
When children are no longer allowed to go to school, this is "a huge challenge in terms of education and social policy," said Kurz.
The procedure in the corona pandemic is therefore always "a weighing of how to balance people's health, but also a maximum of freedom and economic and educational issues," said Austria's Chancellor.
+
Federal Chancellor of Austria: Sebastian Kurz from the ÖVP.
© Eibner Europe / IMAGO
Corona in Austria: There are signs of an expansion of the vaccination dispute
Update from March 13th, 7.30 p.m.:
In Austria, the Corona crisis indicates a solid vaccination dispute.
To classify: Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) had accused the European Union (EU) of distributing vaccines like in a “bazaar” and thus putting individual member states at a disadvantage - for example the Alpine republic.
Now the Austrian vaccine mess is likely to develop into a coalition dispute in the government.
According to the
newspaper Kronen Zeitung,
ÖVP Vice Secretary General Gabriela Schwarz calls for
Rudolf “Rudi” Anschober (The Greens) to suspend two high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Health.
So far, neither Kurz nor Anschober have commented on the cause.
Coronavirus pandemic in Austria: Corona easing is probably on the brink
First report from March 13th
: Munich / Vienna - Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) * and Austria imagined it differently in the coronavirus pandemic *.
Planned easing of the Corona * restrictions are probably on the brink.
This is because the number of new Covid-19 * infections suddenly increases again significantly.
For the first time in three months, more than 3000 corona cases * were registered within 24 hours on March 13th - 3126 in number.
The nationwide 7-day incidence * at the same time was a high 199.17.
And thus, for example, significantly higher than in Germany.
Coronavirus pandemic in Austria: will planned easing be postponed?
As several media report unanimously, openings planned from March 27th are suddenly no longer safe.
Among other things, it is about possible loosening of the pub gardens (open-air serving areas) in the catering trade.
Originally, a summit between Chancellor Kurz and the federal states was planned for this Monday (March 15).
Instead of March 15, the summit is now set to rise a week later, on March 22.
As the news portal
oe24.at
writes, the pub gardens could not open until April.
An extension of the Easter vacation for schoolchildren by one week is also an option because of the infection rate among children and adolescents.
Coronavirus pandemic in Austria: debate over distribution of corona vaccines
After Prime Minister Kurz had spoken of a "bazaar" because of the coronavirus vaccines and a nurse had died after being vaccinated with Astrazeneca * - probably without any connection - the pandemic in the Alpine republic continues to polarize.
Follow all
developments regarding the corona crisis in Austria here in the news ticker.
(pm)
List of rubric lists: © Martin Juen / imago-images