In Austria, hundreds of thousands have already downloaded a “Stop Corona” app from the Red Cross onto their cell phones. Use is voluntary. Chancellor Kurz plans to have the location data of all Austrians evaluated in the future.
In the fight against the coronavirus after Easter, Austria may have more access to location data from mobile phones. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz indicated this to journalists on Saturday, reports the Austrian news agency APA. “We all have one goal, namely to get our freedom back as quickly as possible,” said the 33-year-old. “This will require accompanying measures.” The evaluation of location data (tracking) will be an “important basis”.
Because two million Austrians do not have a smartphone, key fobs are being worked on, which could then also be used to determine the location. According to Kurz, in addition to tracking, quick tests and the immediate isolation of all contacts from infected people are needed.
The other pillars of the future Austrian strategy will therefore be the protection of vulnerable groups and older people as well as the consistent keeping away and wearing masks. These measures are intended to ensure that a step towards normalcy can be taken after Easter. The government has already announced several times on Monday that it plans to announce a timetable for the period after Easter.
Austrians can hope that more shops will open again. “It is clear that we will start up again when trading,” said Kurz. Austria has been running minimally since mid-March, except for drugstores and grocery stores, virtually all shops had to close, and restaurants and bars are also closed. Exit restrictions also apply. The measures were effective: The number of Sars-CoV-2 infections has recently increased by less than four percent a day.
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