The mayor of Wels, Andreas Rabl (FP), is upset. “It is not justifiable that people from Wels have to drive 40 minutes to Vöcklabruck just because they want to visit their loved ones at home at Christmas and cannot or do not want to finance the test themselves,” says Rabl.
A negative test result is currently required for visits to retirement homes: He has therefore arranged that in Wels, in cooperation with the Red Cross, there will be a separate test option for people who want to visit relatives in a home, says Rabl.
At least between December 22nd and 25th, after making an appointment by telephone at a senior citizens’ home, Welser can be tested for the virus free of charge at a drive-in test station.
In addition to the state’s test offer in a vocational school, Linz would also like to provide its own test capacities for visitors to retirement homes. Mayor Klaus Luger fears (see article above) that the planned 500 tests per day, which are already being provided by the state, will not be enough to meet the demand. “We know from experience that there are a lot of visits to the homes during the holidays.”
How the city’s own tests should run in Linz is currently being discussed. A separate test street as well as tests in the entrance areas of the retirement and nursing homes in the state capital are conceivable.
