Masks will soon return in Austria

Due to the dramatic increase in the number of newly infected with the corona virus, the mandatory wearing of a protective mask is about to be introduced in Austria.

Minister of Health Johannes Rauh planned to tighten the epidemic measures only when the situation in hospitals drastically worsens. However, after the recommendation of the expert team, which advocates the return of the obligation to wear FFP2 masks, he changed his position.

“Rauch announced that he is considering the possibility of returning the obligation to wear masks, indicating that the development of the situation in the coming days will be decisive. If the growth continues as in the past few days, and every day there is a five-digit number of new infections, between 12,000 and 15,000, it is necessary to act” , he said.

This would mean that the obligation to wear FFP2 masks in supermarkets, public transport, and institutions would return.

In Vienna, unlike other Austrian provinces, the obligation to wear masks in public transport is still in force.

Experts criticize the inaction of the authorities, because the situation in hospitals worsens every day and the beds are filled with corona patients. According to forecasts, in just two weeks the situation could be even worse and there would already be 3,000 covid patients in hospitals.

The decision to reintroduce the obligation to wear masks was waited until after the presidential elections, so as not to give opponents of epidemic measures a reason to vote for those who oppose every corona measure and vaccine.

Due to the fall wave of the corona virus, chaos reigns in schools across Austria.

Rauh wants the schools to remain open at all costs, but the situation is increasingly difficult, and the first schools, in the province of Salzburg, had to switch to online classes.

Although the decision was made that infected teachers, without symptoms, can teach, more and more of them are sick, so there is not enough teaching staff to hold classes.