The assessment period for the Covid-19 Transfer Act ends on Wednesday at the end of the Corona measures. Where, for example, the Chamber of Commerce thinks the abolition of the measures is positive, the trade union federation is doing it too quickly. The fact that free testing should only be possible if test subjects agree to take anti-Corona drugs caused widespread displeasure.
By Wednesday afternoon, more than 1,000 statements had already been received, most of them from private individuals. The law must ensure that corona vaccinations remain free and free tests are only possible to clarify whether patients with symptoms need Covid medication. The special legal status relative to other non-notifiable communicable respiratory diseases falls.
Linking free testing to taking medicines has been criticized
The provision that testing is only possible at the expense of the health insurer if the people tested are willing to take Covid drugs in the event of a positive result, met with widespread rejection (including from the Medical Association, the Federation of Trade Unions, the Chamber of Commerce, the umbrella organization of Austrian social insurance). Prescribing a therapeutic measure is not only dependent on the test result, according to the Medical Association, which advocates deletion of the wording.
Pharmacists want more leeway
The test offer in pharmacies is “one of the most important pillars of the fight against the pandemic”, according to the Pharmacy Chamber, which advocates expanding the authorization of pharmacists to perform and evaluate tests on their own responsibility. With a clarification in the Pharmacy Act, the House would like to give pharmacists the opportunity to carry out and assess simple health tests under their own responsibility. The Medical Association sees it differently. Performing simple health tests is not part of the sphere of activity of pharmacists.
Epidemic law: RH calls for revision
In the meantime, the Court of Audit is working on an immediate revision of the Epidemic Act. He referred to his previous recommendations to modernize the law. The new draft adapts individual provisions of the applicable legislation, but does not take into account the recommendations of the RH. The Court is positive about the plans to limit the testing offer “for cost-benefit reasons” and to focus on programs for early detection and monitoring. However, the financial effects are not plausible for the RH.
The Austrian Association of Cities welcomes the abolition of regulations that are no longer necessary, but sees the abolition of free tests “in some cases as a noticeable financial burden for socially disadvantaged groups of the population”. He is pushing for federal government financial support for the communities for vaccinations and testing.
Trade union: ‘Pandemic not yet declared over’
The Chamber of Commerce welcomes the lifting of the special status of Covid as a notifiable disease. He notes a deviation from preventive measures while the pandemic has not yet been declared over.
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.
