Record infection numbers: Upper Austria and Salzburg announce lockdown
Status: 11/18/2021 1:07 p.m.
First came the lockdown for unvaccinated people in Austria, now two regions of the country have announced a general lockdown: Upper Austria and Salzburg. The new infections in the state keep reaching new record levels.
In Austria, new corona infections are increasing day by day. Today more than 15,000 new infections were reported for the first time – more than ever since the outbreak of the pandemic. The situation is worsening particularly in the federal states of Salzburg and Upper Austria. Therefore, these two countries want to go into a general lockdown in the next week. This was announced by the Prime Ministers of Salzburg and Upper Austria, Wilfried Haslauer and Thomas Stelzer.
“Very, very little leeway”
The conservative state chiefs, like Chancellor and ÖVP party colleague Alexander Schallenberg, had previously spoken out against severe restrictions on those who had been vaccinated. “We don’t have much leeway anymore, not to say: We have very, very little leeway,” argued Stelzer with reference to the full hospitals.
The politician spoke out in favor of a uniform approach throughout Austria. If that were not possible, the regional measures would definitely come into force for several weeks. “We see no alternative to a lockdown beginning next week,” Haslauer told the APA news agency. Details about the restrictions in the two federal states on the Bavarian border should be announced during the day.
40 percent of the cases in Upper Austria and Salzburg
Almost 40 percent of the new corona cases were registered in Upper Austria and Salzburg. With seven-day incidences around 1600, the two regions are far from that value of 989. Experts from the health sector are threatened with overload in hospitals and intensive care units.
A lockdown for unvaccinated people has been gilded throughout Austria since Monday. Whether additional nationwide measures will be taken for the general population will be decided tomorrow in talks between the federal government and.
General vaccination in conversation
Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) had recently spoken out in favor of a general nocturnal exit restriction, which has so far been rejected by Chancellor Schallenberg. The ÖVP fears that such measures will reduce the willingness for first and booster vaccinations again. However, a general vaccination requirement is being considered within the government.
Since new infections are also rising sharply in the other federal states, the social democratic opposition leader and epidemiologist Pamela Rendi-Wagner called for a nationwide lockdown for at least two weeks – if the situation does not defuse within 48 hours. Compulsory vaccination could not break the current wave of infections, but it could last longer. So you have to think about it.
Before tomorrow’s Corona summit – Governor Stelzer announces a general lockdown
Clemens Verenkotte, ARD Vienna, November 18, 2021 1:05 p.m.