Unsurprisingly, the recent lockdown that the Austrian government is sending the country into is also having a detrimental effect on aviation. Since Thursday, the airlines operating from the Alpine republic have seen a sharp decline in the number of new bookings. The low-cost airline Wizz Air thinned the flight offer from Vienna at short notice.

The competitor Eurowings decided to cancel the non-stop connections from Graz and Linz to Stuttgart and Düsseldorf at short notice. The routes will not “only” pause until December 12, 2021, but at least until January 10, 2022. Will this date hold? Wait, because resumptions have been postponed several times in the past.

While some lockdown supporters are now celebrating this, many industries, including aviation and tourism, are once again about survival. Some politicians trilled at the end of last week that the lockdown should also be necessary to save the ski season. The opposite is likely to be the case, as the trust of incoming tourists was again badly damaged, as many hoteliers report that they were confronted with a veritable wave of cancellations over the weekend. For many - including those who have been vaccinated - it might be too “hot” to spend a winter holiday in Austria, because you don't know how long the lockdown will really last and whether the government won't close the hotels immediately before your arrival and you may still have to pay cancellation costs remains seated.

Incoming charter wiggles

South Tyrol, on the other hand, can already see itself as the “winner” of the Austrian lockdown, because the number of new bookings in the ski regions there has shot up in the last few days. According to reports, some are said to have canceled their holidays in Tyrol, Salzburg and Vorarlberg and re-booked them in South Tyrol. Organizers have heard that Austria as a destination for winter holidays is hardly in demand any more.

If this trend continues, an enormous number of incoming charter flights at the airports in Salzburg and Innsbruck are likely to shake seriously. Only two groups of people have this in their hands: the federal government, which has to set a clear line and create trust among foreign tourists, and of course the holidaymakers themselves, who have it in their hands, whether they are in Austria, South Tyrol, Switzerland or wherever always want to spend their vacation. At the moment the Alpine republic does not have any good cards and it is absolutely understandable that one does not want to take the risk of not being allowed to stay overnight.

So it is not at all surprising that behind the scenes doctorates are already being carried out on an absurd emergency plan. Massively restrict the local population, but at the same time enable winter sports tourism. How is that supposed to work? Well, the locals could be kept in lockdown (or lockdown for the unvaccinated), while an ideal world is played for the foreign guests. The main thing is that the money ends up at the lift ticket offices and in those of the hotels.

Lockdowns are now "crisp"

Austria needs a "short, crisp lockdown," said a politician from Vorarlberg on Thursday. So now we have sunk so deep that lockdowns and the associated restrictions are presented as "crisp" for the population. The relation to reality no longer seems to be present. The health system must be saved from collapse, but it is not about to collapse, but is used inefficiently and not all resources are used.

While doctors and nurses are heavily burdened in some hospitals, there are many private doctors who continue to count banknotes instead of packing on the "corona front". Ironically, the loudest lockdown screamers and self-proclaimed "experts" belong to this guild of doctors. Greece asked private doctors that they should volunteer to help in the hospitals. Only 40 doctors have reported. The Ministry of Health then called in 85 private doctors in Athens alone, who were obliged to serve in the hospitals by means of a notice. There was also a personal delivery by the police and the patrol car went straight to the hospitals.

Such measures could have alleviated the personnel problems in hospitals in Austria, but Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) simply does not dare to contact private doctors who count banknotes. I wonder why? This guild is disproportionately represented in his advisory group and there is significantly less money to be earned per hour. However, one does not necessarily have to be forced to work in the hospital, but the medical home care of those who have tested positive could also take over this. To date, there are no medical teams flying around who care for corona patients at home and provide them with suitable medication. This explicitly does not mean Herbert Kickl's worming agent.

In reality, unfortunately, it looks like that those who tested positive receive zero medical clarification and even have to cheat the district authorities in order to receive their separation notices (this is required by the employer). The 1450 hotline proves to be of little use because it is a hotline and not a medical care facility. So it can happen that she is cheeky against those who have tested positive and explains to them that they should be patient until the district authority reports. It's just stupid if she doesn't answer at all or only after two weeks. After 14 days you are considered to have recovered.

Inadequate or non-existent medical care

The family doctors are in a complicated situation, because pretty much everything that has to do with Covid-19 is reserved for the district administration and thus the medical officer. All in all, this bureaucracy means that people who could easily be treated at home are left alone in the rain. The 1450 hotline even told a sick person to wait until BH called (which she still hadn't done after ten days and calls to the health department were not even accepted) or to go to the hospital if he wasn't feels good.

Out of sheer fear, some puff everything up with ultra-light gradients in order to be admitted to the normal ward in the hospital. It is the fear that the process will get worse and that you will need help in the middle of the night and that no one will feel responsible. Many then feel - justifiably - safer in the hospital. Here, patients are provided with appropriate medication and receive treatment. But: Do those who are just afraid, but have an ultra-mild or even asymptomatic course, really have to go to the hospital?

The flooding of hospitals with Covid patients and the fact that the current approach simply does not provide for a medical evaluation to take place after a positive test is affecting the health system. People who, with timely treatment, would not end up in the intensive care unit in the first place, become intensive care patients and that would be avoidable. Of course there are also people who are simply unlucky and have a difficult course. For many, however, this would be avoidable, regardless of whether you are in favor of vaccinations or not. It is important that the people receive medical care at the latest from the positive test and, if necessary, receive appropriate medication, which is prescribed by a doctor. Unfortunately, this does not happen and this is exactly where flying medical teams, which could be formed from the corps of private doctors, could provide massive relief in the hospitals. And nobody says that they have to work for free. The state should pay for this appropriately so that it is attractive and enough private doctors volunteer. The last resort, however, should be a kind of compulsory obligation like in Greece.

Private hospitals are not used sufficiently

The capacities of private hospitals are currently only being used insufficiently. These could take in many patients who overcrowded normal wards and thus provide remedial measures in public hospitals. Some also have intensive care units, but the private capacities are only rarely used. Why? The bureaucracy is to blame. Alternatively: To a larger extent, treatments and operations that public hospitals have to postpone should be taken over by private institutions. This avoids further collateral damage.

Unfortunately, large parts of Austrian politics are of the opinion that the lockdown is the panacea and will push the numbers into the cellar. In doing so, however, the fact that the Austrian population did not go down well with a campaign from the previous year is disregarded. Just before Christmas, the Lockdown II ends so everyone can go to the hairdresser and buy Christmas gifts and start Lockdown III exactly at Christmas. This was extended several times and then ended despite the sharp rise in numbers. What did Sebastian Kurz say back then? "A lockdown that nobody participates in brings bix". That was just the reality, the Lockdown III was completely ignored by large parts of the population. The "Easter rest" in the east of Austria, which was actually Lockdown IV there, could have been completely saved, because this was subjectively felt no longer taken seriously.

And how is it going in "Lockdown IV for everyone or Lockdown V in Eastern Austria"? It can be assumed that precisely those who are vaccinated and who were promised a few days ago by Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg that there will be no more restrictions for them will take this broken promise literally and ignore the regulations. Certainly some will only find out before the shop or inn that is closed that it is no longer “Lockdown for the unvaccinated”, but “Lockdown for everyone”. It is already inevitable that lockdowns can be expected continuously until the end of April 2022. Presumably, as in the previous year, these will be briefly interrupted for shopping, exchanging and for the hairdresser. Of course it is always promised that it was the last one.

PCR test chaos could have been avoided

And there were still the ski lifts. They are working on solutions for how winter holidays should be made possible in lockdown. On this occasion, in view of the announced compulsory vaccination, one could also ensure that only vaccinated people are then allowed to enter Austria. If you have to be vaccinated as a resident, but tourists and non-residents are also allowed to enter unvaccinated, everything else is absurd. Or: Discrimination on the basis of origin and, as an exception, the locals are disadvantaged? (Disadvantaged in the sense that they have an obligation that does not apply to non-residents).

Regardless of how you feel about lockdown and vaccination: Everything would have been avoidable and in summer the sparrows whistled from the roofs that lockdowns in winter were imminent again. Politicians have done next to nothing, although there would have been enough time. The chaos surrounding the PCR tests is probably the prime example and at that time they even wanted to reduce the test options and make them chargeable. Instead of increasing capacities and preparing for winter, they preferred to be busy with themselves and thus laid the foundation for sending Austria into an unpleasant winter. Those who suffer are now those who lose their income or jobs again and have to start again at the AMS. Many smaller companies no longer register short-time work because it is far too bureaucratic and, on top of that, wages are pre-financed. It can take several months for the AMS to reimburse this and many small businesses, especially in retail and gastronomy, no longer have the money in the cash register.

Buying tomatoes in Palermo

Aviation will feel the effects strongly. It is unlikely that the ambitious winter flights can all be carried out as advertised. If the current lockdown regulation is interpreted strictly, leaving the house for the purpose of going on vacation is not permitted. How good that it is not written anywhere that, for example, you have to buy tomatoes at the supermarket around the corner. It is also not specified which means of transport must be used to get there and back to go shopping. So nothing speaks against buying tomatoes in Palermo.