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Vienna – The traffic light commission advocates further restrictions if the number of corona infections continues to “uncontrollably” increase. However, a statement after the weekly meeting also referred to the option of regional measures. In addition, one wants to see the acceptance in the population preserved. As far as the traffic light colors are concerned, everything stays the same. Vorarlberg is orange, the rest of the country is red.
Open educational institutions “top priority”
The commission apparently does not particularly contest the fact that several clusters have recently appeared in kindergartens and schools and that the average age of those infected is getting younger. Because it is explicitly stated that keeping educational institutions open should be given “top priority”.
In addition, it should be taken into account that the “required acceptance” of the population should be guaranteed in order to be able to achieve the necessary decline in the number of cases. This is to be achieved by ensuring the proportionality of the measures on the one hand and by ensuring that the measures are monitored and implemented across the board on the other.
Easing steps should be reviewed as the numbers rise. In the event of “continued uncontrolled distribution”, these should also be withdrawn regionally at the level of individual federal states or districts.
In view of recent developments, the Commission is thus speaking rather defensively. Because only in six of 96 districts or regions is the case incidence still below 100 per 100,000 inhabitants. This is considered to be the border between the traffic light colors red and orange, whereby the latter color still represents a “high risk”.
Vorarlberg has the lowest incidence, Tyrol tests the most
After all, Vorarlberg, which is currently acting as a test region for loosening, has, contrary to the Austria-wide trend, declining infection numbers. With an incidence of 69.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, the “Ländle” clearly has the best value in the past week. No other federal state is below 100. Salzburg has the highest value with 283.7. In the risk-adjusted seven-day balance sheet, which also includes other factors such as the age of the sick, Salzburg is even at 362.9. Vorarlberg has a unique selling point with 67.4, the second “best” state of Tyrol already has a value of 182.6.
When it comes to clarifying the cases, Vorarlberg is also doing well with 65 percent. Only Vienna has a better balance with 72 percent. However, contrary to the experience of the past few weeks, there was the least testing there in the previous week. Tyrol has the top value, where more than twice as many tests were carried out in relation to the population than in Vienna.
The positive rate for the tests has increased significantly in the federal capital. Infection was found in 1.8 percent of the antigen and PCR tests. In the previous week it was only 1.3 percent.
Last week, the district with the lowest number of cases was Reutte in Ausserfern, Tyrol, with an incidence of 30.5. Wiener Neustadt-Stadt was the most heavily loaded with 501.9.
Variants in Burgenland will soon be 100 percent
The east of the country is currently suffering particularly from the new variants, which make up almost all cases in Burgenland. Specifically, more than 94 percent of the new infections there were attributed to one of the probably more dangerous and, above all, more infectious variants (British, South African, Brazilian). Carinthia and Vienna also have percentages of over 80 percent. On the other hand, the new variants in Vorarlberg (just under 33 percent) and Tyrol (a good 45 percent) are still underrepresented. The share was around 75 percent across Austria. (APA)