Test first, then eat: a possible scenario for an opening is being rehearsed in a bar on the Alsergrund. In cooperation with the pharmacy in the Grätzl, Covid tests are on the menu. “Of course you have to look at the legal requirements, but in principle that would be an option,” says restaurateur Dieter Elsler. Guests who want to visit the restaurant could theoretically take the test there in order to test themselves for the visit to the restaurant.
Various security concepts were also discussed at an opening summit of the Chamber of Commerce. The goal would be to end the lockdown, which has just been extended until March 9, before Easter. The President of the Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer, wants specific guidelines: The companies “need planning security: the government and the provincial governors have to say and decide, this is the opening perspective for this branch.”
Gastronomy and culture are pushing for opening
The sectors of the economy that were previously closed due to the lockdown are now jointly applying pressure to be allowed to unlock again quickly. Current negative tests should be a prerequisite for going to a pub or theater, hotel or cinema.
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Negative test as a ticket
It is said that four fifths of all Austrians would be willing to take their time to visit bars, theaters and other locations again. Gastronomy, cinema operators and theaters pull together: “You look at the ticket here, here my test result, welcome to the theater, that’s not rocket technology, I think we’ll all manage it,” said Franz Patay, Managing Director of Vereinigte Vienna stages.
Or you screw down the audience: “Even in lockdown, you could say that we are going to reduce the load to 20 percent, there are few people sitting there, but you can go away,” said actor Michael Niavarani, describing a possible path.
Medical “no for the time being” to opening in mid-March
But even with sophisticated security concepts, the head of infectious diseases at MedUni Vienna, Heinz Burgmann, will open around the middle of March too early, as he emphasized in the “Vienna today” interview: “I think this is a bit premature. The numbers are increasing. We came out of lockdown with relatively high numbers. If we look at it now, we can see that the numbers are on the rise again and that there can apparently be exponential growth again. “
It would be the consequence and also the danger, if you get into a third wave very quickly, that there will be several thousand infections again, more people would have to go back to the hospital, would become seriously ill and, ultimately, the health resources would again be heavily burdened . However, Burgmann also said that many people from the high-risk groups had already been vaccinated and therefore no longer had to be admitted to a hospital.
Burgmann welcomed the opening of schools and kindergartens, also in view of the current closings. Children would definitely have to go to school: “It was clear that there could be isolated infections, but that’s why the tests are there and that’s why a lot of testing should be done.” In any case, it is better to close individual schools or individual classes block if there are CoV infections than generally cease school operations.
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