The government has removed the virus from the list of nuisance causes. Get rid of face masks and other measures. “The pandemic goes, the virus stays. A historic decision,” announced Green Health Minister Johannes Rauch together with ÖVP Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler yesterday. The timetable until the end of June is available. However, environmental doctor Hans-Peter Hutter warns of “caution rather than overconfidence”.
The mask obligation in medical facilities will also end on April 30. The metropolis of Vienna remains stubborn. The face mask obligation in public transport, among other things, will remain there until the end of February. You want to consult experts on how to proceed. Fix: As of June 30, the obligation to report Covid diseases is a thing of the past. Get out of crisis mode, say the ministers.
New epidemic law is needed
This also implies dealing with the uninvited regular guest. Testing options (with doctors) and observations via wastewater analyzes will remain. To be able to detect new variants in time. A new epidemic law is also needed. The current one dates from 1913. So before the Spanish flu, which killed up to 50 million people worldwide from 1918 to 1920.
“The system is already heavily loaded”
Environmental doctor Hans-Peter Hutter finds the government’s action ‘remarkable’. Especially now that the number in hospitals is increasing again.” Optimism is good, but prudence and foresight are better than stubbornness. New waves require concrete plans with possible new variants. “Our system is already heavily loaded. Politically I understand the government. As an infectious disease specialist, I see it as problematic and I warn.”
Corona has divided society, says Karoline Edtstadler. She also admits mistakes; it would have been better to maneuver through the crisis. This was recognized, among other things, in the recent elections in Lower Austria. Many – especially in the Waldviertel – have left the ÖVP in the direction of the vaccination-critical FPÖ due to the Corona measures.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
