Minister of Health and Social Affairs Johannes Rauch (Greens) does not yet want to indicate when exactly the reintroduction of a mask requirement could take place, given the increasing corona numbers. He again did not rule out a time in the summer in the ORF “Persuur”. Rauch supported the abolition of vaccination, defended health care reform and the coalition’s fight against inflation, and emphasized that he wanted to continue working with the ÖVP until autumn 2024.
The minister recalled that Austria is one of the more cautious countries in Europe when it comes to corona measures. You also test the most. When it came to face masks, he did not want to pin down concrete numbers and incidents and referred to the regular expert consultations on this subject.
Vaccination abolished
He said of the abolition of vaccinations: “If I come to the conclusion that this is not working, then I must have the courage to end it.” Next week there will be an advice from the National Immunization Committee for the vaccination booster.
Ensure cohesion in society
He reminded Rauch of the high psychological burden on people, not only because of the pandemic, but also because of inflation, climate change and the war in Ukraine. He is concerned about the basic cohesion in society, he emphasized: “My biggest fear now is that it will break.” to live according to the “good tradition of social partnership”.
“Largest and fastest emergency kit”
He defended the anti-inflation package of the ÖVP and the Greens, saying it was “the best, biggest and fastest aid package” in a comparison of states. He tackles criticism from the opposition and trade unions in a sporty way. He defended that the package did not contain any measures against inflation or price caps. In Germany there was the accompanying field test for fuels, which “failed relentlessly and grandly”. When it comes to VAT, no one has yet been able to explain to him how an effect can really reach the customer. Despite the ÖVP’s no, he continued to push for taxes on inheritances worth millions.
Continue to wait for unemployment benefit reform
He also did not accept any criticism of nursing reform. “Actually, no one was forgotten,” he said, yelling that social workers and domestic workers had not been taken into account. Expert opinions will be looked at and he assumes improvements will be made in one place or another, Rauch said. When reforming unemployment benefits, he asked for patience, “it won’t be over before summer”. You work in four sub-areas. There will probably be a result in the fall.
Bad research data as a “snapshot”
Faced with poor research data from the coalition parties and good data for a traffic light coalition of SPÖ, Greens and NEOS, Rauch spoke of snapshots. “What counts is what comes out on Election Day,” he said, and one is elected for five years. If it were up to him, the next National Council elections wouldn’t be until the fall of 2024, “and then we’ll see.” He himself wants to remain a minister until then, but no longer.
He dismissed the fact that the Austrian Greens looked “old and worn out” as unfair compared to those in Germany. “I’m old, I’m not worn out,” Rauch said, criticizing the fact that Robert Habeck was being praised in Germany for the same things his Green Party colleague, Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler, was scolded for in this country.
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.
