A recent amendment to the ‘epidemic legislation’ in Austria would allow the government to limit the access to events to certain groups of people. PVÖ, the Pensioners’ Association of Austria, fears that older people could be “locked away” as a result.
“Of course, we older people in particular are highly interested in containing the corona virus and preventing its further spread”, points out PVÖ-President, Dr. Peter Kostelka. “Older people are extremely disciplined and responsible and have complied with all safety measures in an exemplary manner and continue to do so. To exclude them from social life in general is ‘inconceivable’!”
Dr. Kostelka argues that, according to the official government statistics, ALL generations, with the exception of children, fall ill with Covid-19: “Nobody who belongs to the risk group is deliberately endangering his health. You don’t have to put older, experienced people away by law. Therefore, the Pensioners’ Association warns against the general isolation of people over a certain age or year of birth”.
Data show that older people in retirement homes are particularly affected by the disease. For PVÖ this is where action needs to be taken to prevent infection.