The continuing increase in the number of infections with the delta variant of the coronavirus is fueling the debate about stricter rules for non-vaccinated people everywhere.

In Austria, it could soon be the case that leisure and sports facilities, but also restaurants, are only open to those who have at least one double vaccination against the coronavirus.

Corresponding proposals by the influential Vienna Social City Councilor Peter Hacker (SPÖ) have met with broad, often positive feedback in the country.

Federal Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) described the debate as premature.

However, the current ordinance, which regulates under what conditions, whom and where access is granted, expires at the end of August.

A new version is already in the works.

Andreas Mihm

Business correspondent for Austria, East-Central and Southeastern Europe and Turkey based in Vienna.

  • Follow I follow

The 3G rule currently applies.

Anyone who has been vaccinated, has recovered from Covid 19 disease or has a current test with a negative result can gain access.

The first tightening had already occurred on Sunday.

Since then, only those who can prove a complete vaccination - usually two "stitches" - have been vaccinated.

So far, one was also considered vaccinated if the first "spades" was 22 days ago.

"The proposal is completely half-baked."

If it is up to Hacker, there will be tightening for the unvaccinated. At the weekend he announced that if the corona vaccination was not completed, there would be no more access to leisure and sports facilities, so the vaccination rate in Vienna would not increase significantly. There, the seven-day incidence of new infections on Monday was 89 and thus above the national average of 66, the German value of infections per 100,000 inhabitants is currently 37. The proportion of fully immunized people in the capital Vienna remained below that at 53.9 percent National average of 56.2 percent.

Hackers and other health politicians want to increase it quickly. His spokesman is quoted as saying that the ban on unvaccinated people would not only apply to cinemas, theaters or mini golf courses, but also to all 6,500 Viennese restaurants. Local owners would have suggested this themselves. In fact, Tyrolean hotel owners had also announced that they only wanted to accept vaccinated guests as guests in winter.

However, there was also a violent contradiction from the Chamber of Commerce: In view of the low vaccination rate "many businesses would have to close again immediately," said the gastro-chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Martin Pucher, of the FAZ. not vaccinated.

The tightening threatens massive damage, especially since the restaurants are already not being used to full capacity.

"The proposal is completely half-baked."

Corona exit regulations will be relaxed

The hotelier association also speaks out against tightening the current regulations. Experience shows that the current 3G regulation works very well in hotels. Seven out of ten guests arrived vaccinated anyway, and employees often wore additional masks or mouth-nose protection in the company. “There were no clusters in hotels last summer or this summer, hotels were and are safe places, there is currently no need to tighten them.” But it is up to every company and entrepreneur to set stricter rules in-house.

However, encouragement for the shortening of the 3G rule only to vaccinated people comes from the Medical Association, which in Austria - comparable to the German Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians - is also responsible for care. President Thomas Szekeres said that every unvaccinated person drives the fourth corona wave. "The less we manage to vaccinate in the next few weeks, the more powerful the wave will be that will hit us in the autumn after the start of school," he said. Several federal states want to only allow fully vaccinated people in night restaurants, such as discos. Vienna wants the same for restaurants, but on Tuesday Hacker promised to wait and see whether there would be a nationwide regulation. Other countries also demand them and play the ball into Mückstein's field.

The green health minister had only said on Sunday that a restriction of public life only for unvaccinated nationwide was "currently" not ripe for a decision, and warned of a division in society. However, he can imagine less severe restrictions, such as the return of the mask requirement or the limitation of the validity of antigen tests to 24 instead of 48 hours. First of all, however, the existing Corona exit regulations will be relaxed from this Thursday: then provisions on meetings with more than 100 people, holiday camp provisions, specifications for specialist and public fairs, for top-class sports and occasional markets will no longer apply.