Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) can imagine bonuses for corona vaccinations: Anything that helps to get more people to vaccinate before the mandatory vaccination comes into effect is “a positive signal,” said Nehammer in an APA interview. Nehammer defends the earlier curfew, which also applies to New Year’s Eve – even against criticism from within his own ranks. Caution should be exercised because of the new Omikron variant.
The request for a 500 euro voucher for everyone who contributes to a higher vaccination rate with the third trick was last raised by SPÖ boss Pamela Rendi-Wagner. Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) was open to the idea in “Austria”. And the Chancellor is also ready to consider a kind of bonus for vaccination: There are various suggestions as to how one can trigger motivation, “and everything that helps us to get more people to vaccinate before the vaccination is actually required I think that validity is also a positive signal for our society, “he said when asked about the proposal.
He considers it a “very good approach” to motivate vaccination in a positive way – “at what level and in what form, the experts should think about it,” says Nehammer. “But one thing is also clear: it can then not only affect those who are newly vaccinated, but of course also applies to everyone who was willing to be vaccinated.”
In any case, Nehammer is sticking to the mandatory vaccination from February. With the reference of his party colleague Karoline Edtstadler to the necessary effectiveness of the vaccines, the government has by no means opened a back door, emphasizes Nehammer: “Compulsory vaccination is essential.” The vaccination also protects against the new Omikron variant, and further development of vaccines is possible.
He recently made himself a picture at the AKH, explained Nehammer: 90 percent of the patients in the intensive care units are not vaccinated, the other ten percent have no functioning immune system due to previous illnesses. Propaganda against vaccination is therefore “deeply cynical”. For Nehammer, relying on infection is not an option: “This is a path that Austria has always refused to do because it carries the verdict, so to speak, that many people have to die too.”
The federal government has had to listen to a lot of criticism these days because of the New Year’s Eve regulation. If you initially wanted to allow New Year’s Eve parties in pubs, you rowed back five days later and set the curfew at 10 p.m. The Chancellor argues the U-turn with the warnings of the experts. In the “nationwide COVID crisis coordination”, or “Gecko” for short, all measures were once again evaluated in the light of the rapid spread of Omikron in Europe. Omikron has already arrived in this country, Nehammer pointed out that it is already the dominant variant in Vienna.
If the health authorities were to approve New Year’s Eve parties, and if there were then increasing numbers of infections and clusters from these parties, then “you would rightly ask me or the health minister next time why the federal government has allowed New Year’s Eve to be celebrated,” so the chancellor. “If you ask me, I’m sorry for the Austrians, then a resounding yes” – but from the point of view of the advisory experts it is simply necessary. “We’re trying our best to protect people.”
Nehammer expressed understanding for the sometimes vocal protest from gastronomy and tourism, which also comes from his own party. At the same time he emphasized: Nobody wants to “torture” anyone or “deliberately disrupt other business areas”, but “the virus is still dangerous”. Nehammer reminded them that they were also allowed to go to the inn until 10 p.m. subject to protective conditions.
The Chancellor does not believe that anti-vaccination opponents apparently want to undermine the New Year’s Eve regulations with rallies: “Not everything that is allowed must be done sensibly.” The right of assembly is a valuable asset, but it is not sensible to “infiltrate or even abuse it and then expose yourself to a renewed risk of a wave of infection”.
According to Nehammer, the fact that the bad New Year’s Eve news was last announced by a civil servant and not by members of the government is because the experts can also explain the respective recommendations. But it’s all about communication – “Politicians still have to make decisions,” assured Nehammer. “It’s not an either-or, it’s an and in communication.”
According to Nehammer, there are still no concrete plans for new measures. The virus has shown that “no matter what we believe, hope or wish, it will not stick to it”. So you always have to adjust to the danger of the virus. Further measures cannot be ruled out. “It is crucial that we gain time before the next giant wave of infections is upon us.”
Nehammer did not want to answer the question of whether the ÖVP would nominate someone for the 2022 federal presidential election or whether he would support incumbent Alexander Van der Bellen if he ran again. One is currently busy with coping with the pandemic and content-related priorities.
So next year the “giant project” of the eco-social tax reform will be launched, which will bring relief of 18 billion euros by 2025. In addition, an education offensive with support offers is planned for those children who fell by the wayside during the corona crisis. Nehammer also wants to focus on digitization and the question of how to deal with the flood of information on the Internet.