Three years of Corona in retrospect.
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The first official corona case in Vorarlberg was confirmed three years ago. The person concerned was a man from Mellau.
First case in Austria
February 25, 2020: On February 25, the diagnosis “Covid-19” was made in Austria for the first time. The couple probably caught the virus while on vacation in the northern Italian city of Bergamo. After the positive test results, they were admitted to the Innsbruck clinic. Despite the mild course of the disease, they were isolated and released from isolation after ten days and two negative corona tests.
Arrived in Vorarlberg
March 5, 2020: The first corona case from Vorarlberg was announced on March 5th. A young man from Mellau became infected in Vienna and had to be treated in the Hohenems state hospital. The Mellauer had contact with an infected person in Vienna and noticed the first symptoms on Sunday. The following Monday he traveled to Vorarlberg by train without knowing that his contact was a confirmed corona case. The man only found out about the infected person after his arrival in Vorarlberg and then independently reported to the 1450 hotline. Passengers traveling on the same train were asked to also contact the hotline.
First lockdown
March 16, 2020: Due to the rapid increase in the number of infections, the country imposed the first lockdown on March 16, 2020. This led to an enormous slump in the economy. In April, the measures were gradually relaxed and the “new normal” began with distancing, hygiene measures and partial mask requirements. The situation eased up temporarily in the summer, but the numbers worsened again from August. The government appealed to the population. Then, in autumn, the rude awakening. The number of infected people, patients in hospitals and intensive care units, and deaths multiplied to an extent that was unthinkable in the spring.
Vaccination gave hope
17. November 2020: An attempt to implement a “lockdown ligh” at the end of October proved to be an insufficient measure. On November 17, strict measures were again introduced. The lighter version came into force again for the Christmas business, although the exceptions were only limited to Christmas. The third hard lockdown followed on December 26th, again limiting social, cultural and economic life to the bare essentials. However, when the first vaccinations began in Austria at the end of December, there was great hope of a return to normal life.
Voices grew louder
19. November 2021: After the government announced that another lockdown was imminent and that vaccination might be compulsory, the voices of citizens grew louder. The Free Citizens’ Party demonstrated on November 19 in front of the Vorarlberger Landhaus in Bregenz. The 500 demonstrators vented their displeasure with loud shouts or whistles. Their banners read: “Responsibility instead of compulsory vaccination” or “Against the split”. Lexer, general secretary of the party, underlined that free citizens could decide for themselves whether to wear a mask or be vaccinated. He then went into some of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, railed against the “lying press” and stated: “Our health is at risk if we are stuffed with this poison.”
Lateral thinker walk to Wallner
20 January 2022: Around 50 members of the lateral thinker movement took a “walk” to the private home of Governor Markus Wallner. They tried to get onto the property. However, the police were aware of the action and were on site with sufficient forces to prevent further. Although some people tried to enter the property, the emergency services were able to stop them. Threatening letters directed at Wallner and his family were published on the Internet as early as December 2021.
“Pandemic goes, the virus stays”
Three years after the first case in Vorarlberg, normality is back. 5.9 million infections in Austria have been reported to date, 21,800 people have died, more than 20 million vaccinations have been administered and around 90,000 Covid 19 medications have been dispensed. A new epidemic law and a new pandemic plan should prepare for future health crises. The rules are to be gradually phased out by the summer. From June 30th, Austria should return to “normal operation”. Special regulations for individual federal states are then no longer possible. “The pandemic is going, the virus stays,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch.
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