Austria’s culture secretary shares her feelings with arts leaders
mainHere’s the translation of an email sent by State Secretary for Culture Andrea Mayer to heads or arts ensemble, expressing empathy for their situation under lockdown and a determination to help them return:
Dear representatives of the Austrian art and culture companies, dear artists,
…I want to inform you directly about the acute developments in connection with the Covid 19 crisis and not through the media.
In the past few months we have jointly managed to contain the spread of the corona virus. This enabled us to restart social, economic and cultural life to an acceptable level. These relaxations were right and important because art and culture are an essential part of our lives.
I would like to express my thanks once again to all those involved in the art and culture industry for their tireless work on the security and prevention concepts and for their exemplary implementation by the bank. Together they have made a lot possible – moments and experiences without which our lives would definitely have been poorer.
In view of the rapid increase in new infections in Austria, we are faced again with a very difficult situation. A further increase in the spread of the virus would have effects on our health system that we must avoid at all costs.
In the next few weeks – until the end of November – we will unfortunately have to do without a large part of the cultural life again. I deeply regret that because I know how important culture is for our lives. Closed cultural establishments are a disaster. But they are currently necessary to prevent an even greater catastrophe. That’s why my heart is bleeding too. However, it now takes a joint effort by the entire population to get the spread of the virus under control again.
I am continuing to work with all my might to design support measures in the arts and culture in such a way that Austria’s art and cultural landscape can survive this difficult phase. It is my declared goal to preserve this landscape in all its creative power and diversity. Doors that are now closed must open again.
The last few months have shown us that we can achieve a lot in Austria if we pull together. I know how challenging these new measures are. These are cuts in our lives that nobody wants – you and I don’t. But they are, unfortunately, necessary in the current situation.
My team and I are by your side and we will get through this difficult time together.
Thank you for your understanding and continued commitment.
Yours, Andrea Mayer
PS: Please share this message in your area of activity.
Yes Cov-19 trends for Austria as per ECDC data increasing.
Please kindly watch Cov-19 pandemic update 1 Nov, Dr John Campbell, his briefings are clear and concise and well referenced and documented unlike the media!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKI78fzBGD0
EU have underestimated increase and impact of cov-19 cases, scientific advisers in uk experts not great all at sea!
Trends /1m Increasing cases
Belgium and Czech republic worst, Slovenia, France and NL, Poland and UK, Greece, Germany slowly increasing, US between UK and Germany per capita figures.
Czech republic and Belgium reaching its health (hospital) capacity. May be too late as health systems overloaded.
Czech Republic Prevalence for a 10.7m population
Belgium current prevalence 300,000 for a 11m population, assume 5% sick, 15,000 people needing treatment potentially.
Timeline for onset of Cov-19 symptoms and disease milestones up to 28 days.
Viral replication (1-11 days) – Infection & symptomatic phase
Early pulmonary phase (6-12 days)
Late pulmonary phase (12-28 days) – Viral debris
Delayed innate immunity (6 -12 days)
Immune dysregulation – “Cytokine Storm”, MAS T-Cell dysregulation (12-28 days)
Portable Oximiters need to be made available for patients to monitor their Ox Sats at home.
Treat more patients at home, anti inflammatory meds
Taiwan successful control measures could not get international information, did not rely on WHO data.
Keep wearing masks, keep washing hands, use sanitisers, avoid crowds indoors, try to eat well, sleep well, try to relax with a hobby/pastime, (Doc Martin plays his harp and listens to Byrd and Tallis).
If you suddenly feel ill do not delay in seeking help from your GP/health professional.
Keep safe folks.
Thank you.
Your screeds about Covid are total nonsense. For those under 50, the flu is a greater risk. At this point the greatest risk to society and the arts is the overwrought policy response, spending untold resources to keep people home and businesses shut rather than to expand healthcare capacity and protect those at risk (disproportionately those over 70 and those with significant comorbidities such as severe obesity, cancer, diabetes). Nobody should be forced to accept the risk (by all means stay home and avoid human contact if you want), but not giving healthy adults the right to make decisions about their health and live their lives normally is tyranny.
Flu is less infectious than cov-19 you fool. You are not qualified to discuss medical issues you are not a clinician.
Arts are not essential in a life threatening pandemic, wise up, we have CDs, DVDs etc. We can give up operas and concerts until a vaccine is found to work. By the way many under 50s have died with Cov-19, so the risk is there.
Patients with Sars-cov-2 remain infectious longer than those with Flu, please don’t comment on anything medical, you are making yourself look foolish.
Your response is total nonsense, and advocates for spreading the pandemic.
How are you going to expand medical services if more and more people get sick and there are not enough doctors nor nurses? Have you seen hospitals in Spain, France, US, Belgium…?
It was pretty tough indeed in some European countries at times earlier this year
and seems to be getting worse again, but in overwhelming majority of US hospitals those of their sections that were and are intended for COVID patients have so far, thank goodness, been nowhere close to full
and therefore not overwhelmed at all.
The hospitals in the U.S. that were overwhelmed, were overwhelmed in a big way.
We may yet see more hospitals overwhelmed, depending on how the pandemic spreads and how it is handled.
For those in the U.S. who want better and more effective handling of the pandemic from the government, I have one word for you today:
VOTE!!!!!
That is one of the reasons we did.
https://twitter.com/vegsource/status/1322285840291147776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1322285840291147776%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lewrockwell.com%2Fpolitical-theatre%2F
The first UK death by cov-19 ONS data now suggests earlier in January 2020.
The first person in UK to acquire Cov-19 was a student working in Wuhan in November 2019, he had the full cytokine storm and needed oxygen therapy and ventilation, he subsequently recovered, however suffered afterwards and was never the same again and has now died aged 26.
Covid-19 is far more infectious and has a much longer incubation period than Flu.
International travel will only keep spreading it.
I see Bojo and Hancock are being sued over Track n Trace appointments, Dildo Harding is in the firing line.
Jolyon Maugham QC has a case going.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/government-sued-dido-harding-test-and-trace-144051432.html
Culture is of course not just music and opera, (in Germany only 33% of the population listens to classical music, 35% in UK according to a record industry survey), these can be listened to on CD, LPs, downloads, you tube without leaving your home and risking infection, besides flights are cancelled and too expensive, if Cov-19 does not kill off attending live concerts, Carbon foot print policy will.
The Austrians and other European countries are heavy smokers. This should provide a clue about their susceptibility to this virus, but I’m sure that clue won’t be taken as there’s no political advantage in it.
No evidence at all in the literature, COPD from smoking is very high in China.
Die Kultur wird zugesperrt, aber man darf fliegen, die Kirchen zur Messe und zu Fußballmatches besuchen.