Do you know the nice term “an Austrian solution”? In Austria, this is used to denote compromises that are neither fish nor flesh; a little bit strong, but only a little bit, so as not to annoy anyone permanently. On the bright side, it’s also the result of compromise—or, if you don’t want to be too patronizing, the result of indecisiveness. The general corona vaccination requirement in Austria is the most recent example of this.

The road to their implementation is paved with oddities that can actually only be traced back to the fact that politicians do not seem to be sure, are trying to save face, do not want to admit any mistakes – and want to please everyone anyway.

In practice, it looks like this: As an unvaccinated person, you commit a criminal offense because of your unvaccinated status – but you can go back to the restaurant after being tested. Because the general corona vaccination has been in force since Saturday. And from next week onwards, the 3-G rule will again apply to gastronomy throughout the country, with the exception of the more cautious federal capital Vienna.

“Keep your feet still, calm blood”

No less strange is that the law will not really have any consequences until mid-March. Only then can the police check the vaccination certificate and, if necessary, report a violation. According to the law, an automatic data comparison to determine unvaccinated people will take place at an even later point in time, which has not yet been fixed. It is therefore not surprising that the vaccination rate has not really increased recently.

All in all, compulsory vaccination is now a rather absurd matter. With the prospect of stable numbers in the hospitals, it is also becoming increasingly unpopular – including with the state governors, i.e. the heads of government in the federal states. According to Carinthia, the proportionality should be checked. Salzburg will question the suitability. Burgenland even looks like a dead end into which the federal government has maneuvered itself with compulsory vaccination.

Lower Austria is calling for science, which must provide a clear opinion as to whether the law still makes sense. Vienna, on the other hand, doesn’t want a zigzag course: “I don’t think we should indulge in the hobby of constantly questioning what we’ve just decided,” says SPÖ City Councilor for Health Peter Hacker.

And how does the turquoise-green federal government react? “Keep your feet still, calm blood,” explains the green club boss Sigrid Maurer.

Germany is squirming

While in Switzerland the advocates of vaccination have hardly been heard for weeks, the debate about compulsory vaccination in Germany remains topical. However, those who follow them have to admit that things are hardly better there than in Austria. With one difference: in the Federal Republic of Germany, the end of the vaccination requirement is already being discussed before it has even been decided.

The Bundestag debate was postponed to mid-March because the draft laws to be discussed are not yet available. And Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder even has the facility-related compulsory vaccination that has already been decided suspended. So there are increasing signs that the law will not come any time soon.

Maybe that’s with a view to Austria, the hurdles and absurdities there, but it’s also better that way. After all, the main feature of the Austrian solution is one thing above all: that it is Austrian.