If the situation becomes more difficult in the autumn, the mask requirement in Austria should be reintroduced, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said in the summer. But while the number of infections is going up again and the occupancy rate in hospitals is also rising sharply, the minister is still hesitating.
On Tuesday, not only were 13,416 new infections reported, but also 1,863 people who had to be treated in hospitals. The Covid autumn wave started much earlier than in previous years. Austria is already in third place worldwide with its current development – despite a significantly reduced testing strategy in the country.
While health personnel in hospitals are already moaning under the increasing pressure, the Minister of Health is apparently not thinking about tightening the measures yet. In an interview in Tuesday’s ORF “ZiB 2”, Rauch declined to indicate when the reintroduction of the mask requirement would be in effect again.
Only mask when the situation “escalates”
The currently high numbers in hospitals are due to the fact that about half of patients have Covid as a secondary diagnosis, Rauch explained. He did not answer when the burden on health workers would become too heavy, but he would use the figures at the ministry to monitor how the situation developed.
“The pure figures are one thing, but the figures of the hospitals are decisive,” he concluded. Once it reaches a point where the situation in the hospitals “escalates, becomes threatening,” he wants to return to a mask requirement in public spaces, Rauch said.
Source: Krone
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
