Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) defended the end of the corona quarantine in “ZiB 2” on Tuesday evening with unusual sharpness. On the objection that those who tested positive could go to the outdoor pool or bar without the mandatory FFP2 mask, Rauch said they “had done that so far, we know that from our surveys”. There was no pressure on him to end the quarantine — “I’m not against it” — he countered his wife’s criticism with, “I love my wife.”
Rauch’s response that he “basically doesn’t care” about Covid kicked off the sometimes snotty exchange of punches on the show. As a result, the Minister of Health reacted sharply to almost every question from moderator Martin Thür, sometimes with an irritated undertone.
You now have a “changed situation” with a “completely different virus variant”, so it’s time to move from isolation to traffic restrictions. He believes the decision is justified and no pressure has been put on him in this regard. “I’ve been in business long enough and I’m old enough. I’m not used to applying pressure,” Rauch said.
Checks are now only random
Infected people have also gone to the toilet or to bars – and of course “it doesn’t matter how you behave”, you have to “be careful of course”. As far as the checks are concerned, these have recently been carried out on a random basis. It depended on the majority of the population obeying the rules.
When asked about the criticism of his wife, Vorarlberg SPÖ chairman Gabriele Sprickler-Falschlunger, who was dissatisfied with the relaxation in a broadcast the day before and described her husband’s actions as “certainly wrong”, the minister said: “I love mine Wife ,,She has a different opinion, and that’s a good thing.” Women don’t have to share their husband’s opinion.
“Unworldly Perspective”
When Thür wanted to delve deeper into the problem of open-plan offices, what if infected people in the future start working next to healthy people and are not allowed to eat or drink anything for eight hours because they are not allowed to take off their masks, Rauch accused Thür of an “unworldly perspective”. The pandemic has been everyday life in companies for two years now. “Let’s not pretend that living with the pandemic is not possible,” the minister said.
Anyone who is ill or positive should contact their GP
If someone is sick or positive, they should call their GP – either to take sick leave or to discuss whether administering a corona drug is indicated. Since January, medicines for serious courses have been available in Austria, which patients have received too little until now. Staying at home for fear of contamination is in any case not possible.
Positive kindergarten child with mask in care
When it came to preschools, Rauch was a little sharper: “Nobody in this world, no parents would think of sending kids with chickenpox anywhere! No one would think of bringing a child who tested positive to preschool.” !” the minister said confidently. If the child is infected but has no symptoms, you can bring it to the shelter with a mask. When the objection was raised that this was not possible in the city of Vienna, Rauch had to admit: “The City of Vienna will have to decide what the City of Vienna does on this point.”
“In the end it is my responsibility”
As for autumn, Rauch considers Austria “well prepared, we are well prepared”. And if a different approach is indicated in the autumn due to new variants, there will be a response. In any case, it is clear that he is ultimately responsible for it.
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.
