ON Easter weekend leaders across Europe are appealing for the public to stay at home. Many countries, including Scotland, still have to reach the expected turning point in the rate of coronavirus infections and deaths. However, some other nations that saw the outbreak develop earlier and have flattened the curve of infections are beginning to adopt first recovery measures.
Two European countries starting to show the way back from the pandemic are Austria and Denmark, which are led by two of the continent’s youngest leaders. Sebastian Kurz and Mette Frederiksen are wrestling with the same challenges as other decision-makers but, because of relatively successful containment measures in their countries and the earlier outbreak of Covid-19, they are the first to adopt tentative exit strategy steps.
Both Austria and Denmark introduced early lockdowns when there were fewer than 1000 cases and no deaths. Measures to contain the virus have included localised community quarantines, sealing borders and the closure of public spaces, like the large parks at Vienna’s Schonbrunn Palace.
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In Austria, the 33-year-old conservative chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his Green coalition allies have developed a twin-track approach to combatting coronavirus. The Alpine republic has introduced harsher rules than most other countries, including mandatory wearing of face masks when shopping and the introduction of a “Stop Corona” app from the Red Cross. The mobile phone application is aimed at breaking the chain of infection by logging personal encounters using a “digital handshake”.
As in South Korea, which has used similar anonymised smart technology to drive down transmissions, the app informs users who have come into contact with people who have developed symptoms and asks them to self-isolate. The innovation helps to cut out the time-consuming manual identification efforts undertaken by health professionals.
The Austrian health agency AGES has published a research report on the Covid-19 outbreak and is able to assign 57% of analysed cases to one cluster in the Tyrolean resort of Ischgl. That involved more than 625 people, while the next largest cluster involved 64 people associated with a choir in Upper Austria. So far there have been 13,306 cases and 295 deaths in total. It is hoped that with the “Stop Corona” app, the scale of cases and clusters would not be repeated in a secondary wave of infections.
Very controlled first steps in relaxing restrictions have also just been announced in Austria, with limited parts of the economy seeing controls lifted. From next Tuesday, smaller shops and builders merchants will be able to reopen. Schools are set to offer expanded childcare and it is hoped that the gastronomy sector can begin to open incrementally from the middle of May. In the meantime, restrictions on public movement and events will continue.
The president of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Harald Mahrer, says the announcement is the starting shot for a strong economic comeback: “Austria was among the fastest countries in Europe to implement rigorous measures to protect the population. Now we can get the economy up and running again step by step within a clearly defined framework and in compliance with comprehensive protective measures.”
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In a shared appeal for public understanding by the Government and social partners, Mahrer stressed how timing is key: “These steps are very careful at first. But the more disciplined we all stick to the federal government’s phased plan, the faster we will be able to return to a normal situation.”
Denmark has also begun to signal first steps back towards normalisation, after 5635 confirmed coronavirus cases and 237 deaths. Social Democrat premier Mette Frederiksen has highlighted that the Scandinavian nation has “succeeded in delaying the infection” and that gives “rise to optimism”.
At a press conference in Copenhagen this week the 41-year-old said: “If we Danes for the next two weeks — beyond Easter — continue to stand together, at a distance, and if the numbers remain stable and reasonable, then the government will begin a gradual, quiet and controlled opening of our society again.”
At the same time, Denmark has widened its policy to protect workers. Its early scheme to pay 75% of the salaries of employees who would otherwise have been made redundant has increased the monthly upper limit to DKr30,000 (£3500) per worker.
Economic forecasts are now predicting a quicker rebound with the potential return to more normality. Earlier this week Denmark’s Economic Council estimated there may be a best-case GDP contraction of only 3.5% compared with a 10% worst-case scenario by the Danish central bank.
Both Austria and Denmark have signalled that should there be any increase in infections following the relaxation of regulations, there will be an immediate resumption of controls.
By sticking to the lockdown here at home, hopefully we too can soon join those nations beginning to make moves towards normalisation.
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