Austria is still in lockdown until February 8, but it is still unclear whether shops will open after that. The opinion of the trade association is clear.
The flash estimate presented on Friday by WIFO confirms the negative economic outlook of the HV consumption barometer and the massive effects of the second and third lockdowns on the domestic economy. In the 4th quarter of 2020 alone, Austrian GDP slumped by -4.3 percent compared to Q3 and even by -7.8 percent compared to the previous year. The WIFO figures also show a significant decline in private consumer spending, especially in November and December.
In the face of ever more dramatic economic collateral damage, those voices are also getting louder, calling for a quick end to the third lockdown. According to a recent market survey, a clear majority of 72 percent of the population is now in favor of rapid easing in retail and personal services from February 8th. Only 14 percent are in favor of keeping domestic shops closed.
The scientific evidence also speaks a clear language in this regard: Retail is not a corona hotspot. The much-cited Stanford study has shown that official business closings in the course of lockdowns have no influence on the infection rate. In the AGES investigations, no cluster formation could be detected in the shops either; the infection process takes place in the private household sector.
“The health and safety of customers is the most important thing for us as a retailer. But we now know that closing the shops does not reduce the number of corona cases. The length of stay is too short and direct customer contact is too short. Our extensive hygiene measures have also worked Proven in practice. That is why we – like three quarters of the population – demand a quick reopening of the entire trade. We are running out of time, the dealers' coffers are empty, “explains Rainer Will, managing director of the trade association.
“Each additional week of lockdown costs our industry around 1 billion euros. A renewed extension of the official closings would be a meltdown for the entire Austrian labor market and would put 100,000 jobs at risk. February “, Rainer Will appeals to the federal government.
When it comes to Corona aid, medium-sized and large companies are finally moving after the EU Commission has announced an expansion of the upper limits.
However, EPU and SME dealers in particular continue to suffer from the business closings ordered by the authorities as well as from the jungle of bureaucracy when applying for state aid. There is also a need for action in determining the comparison periods and the scope of the individual instruments
