Schanigarten People Spring
The government is keeping a low profile on the lockdown summit. High corona numbers could prevent openings; WKÖ representatives remain confident.
On Monday, the government will consult with experts on further opening steps in Austria. In view of the increasing number of infections, it is more than questionable whether further easing will be decided. Most recently, the epidemiologist and government advisor Eva Schernhammer said she would recommend Kurz and Anschober on Monday not to announce any corona easing for the time being. The development cannot be forecast at the moment. The day before the decision, Anschober was also concerned about the current developments. In a broadcast he speaks of a “worrying trend reversal in Austria”.
The calls for openings from the catering industry are getting louder and louder. Most recently, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer, also spoke on the subject. The increased number of positive results does not disturb him. He explains: “If we test more, the numbers will also increase.” Mahrer is still convinced that opening steps are possible.
The Chamber of Commerce General Secretary and ÖVP finance spokesman Karlheinz Kopf is just as confident that the catering and hotel industry will be able to unlock in mid-March. In the ORF magazine “Hohes Haus” he said: “We expect opening steps to take place on March 15th.” In view of the fact that about 60 percent of the infections can be traced back to the private sector – for example because of private meetings – opening a restaurant would be the better solution.
The Chamber of Commerce therefore advocates “safe opening”. If this does not happen – which head “cannot imagine at the moment and does not want to imagine” – one has to look at the “reasoning and react accordingly”. “Of course, politics have the last word,” says Kopf. He also noted that there would only be a gradual opening in these areas anyway, as the companies also needed a start-up time.
The Vienna City Councilor for Economic Affairs, Peter Hanke, has a similar opinion. In an interview with the city newspaper “Sprich!” he emphasized that he could well imagine opening steps in the catering sector soon: “I believe that as soon as the spring weather gives us warm temperatures, the pub gardens that are so close to our hearts should open again. Therefore, one should think hard about whether not Mitte March would be a good time to take the first steps to relax the catering industry. ” Hanke therefore believes that at least the Viennese pub gardens – if everything goes well – can open in mid-March.
