Editorial – New phase, new roles

Vienna makes it exciting with the openings. While for the federal government and the other eight countries the opening date of May 19 for gastronomy, tourism, culture and sport seems like an eleventh commandment carved into Moses stone tablets, Mayor Michael Ludwig lets himself in with a persistence that has long since become rare in Austria every request to speak on the subject opens the door to the extension of the barriers. He cannot even elicit a guarantee that trade will open from May 2nd, as agreed with Lower Austria.

On the – hopefully final – last few meters of the pandemic, the SPÖ party chairman Pamela Rendi-Wagner, who stubbornly stands on the brakes when easing the brakes and tightening the accelerator, receives, surprisingly, company from the most powerful man in the SPÖ, the Mayor of Vienna, who was otherwise rarely embarrassed about a tip against the boss. Its City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker, who immediately before the announcement of the Easter lockdown had briskly and against all evidence, demanded the opening of outdoor restaurants, has since concentrated on his actual job, immediate crisis and vaccination management. The stage of corona communication in the capital is late, but still, a top priority.

Although it is one thing to think out loud about a renewed postponement of the prospect of easing, and something completely different to actually take this step. It is difficult to imagine that Lower Austria would once again forego the long-awaited easing for the sake of Vienna, although the city and its surrounding area are closely connected, especially since the third member of the league, Burgenland, has already terminated the epidemiological community of fate in the eastern region.

Seen in this way, Ludwig’s hesitation is less surprising than the self-assurance of everyone else when it comes to the next unforeseen hooks from Sars CoV-2. One can still understand that with the majority of the federal government, which, one has the impression, has left crisis management behind and only has eyes for the challenges of opening up and limiting economic damage.

From a political point of view, this is even understandable from the point of view of the turquoise-green government, especially since the principle of regionalization, if tightening should become necessary again, is legally enshrined. The final decision, however, lies with the government, specifically with the health minister.

As soon as he took office, Wolfgang Mückstein let everyone know that he would not shy away from unpopular measures. He will have to, whether he wants to or not, because at the moment there is no one far and wide in sight who will make these decisions for him. And with luck, he will at least have a country manager as a counterpart who knows the difference between the popular and the necessary not only from Sunday speeches. One can hope so, one should bet on it.

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