In these days all of Europe is looking at Tyrol. The future of the pandemic is currently being decided in this Austrian state.
Tyrol is the region in the world in which the South African variant of the coronavirus has now spread the most. There are currently around 300 infections of this variant. (There are around 100 in the UK, with a population around 90 times larger.) Accurate numbers are difficult to get, and they change every day.
In any case, it is certain that the South African variant is far more infectious than the original coronavirus. Much more dangerous, however, is that the vaccines developed so far, especially those from AstraZeneca, could no longer protect against this variant. The Republic of South Africa itself suspended AstraZeneca’s vaccine on Sunday.
The South African variant was apparently brought to Tyrol by Tyrolean tourists after their Christmas holidays and has meanwhile spread dramatically there. Compared to the around 300 infections in Tyrol, there were only 9 in the rest of Austria yesterday. Thus it came to a political fight on open stage about how to deal with it.
While the Austrian federal government is trying to stop the spread of the South African variant by all means, the Tyrolean state government is fighting against it with all means. In particular, the Austrian federal government wanted to extend the nationwide lockdown only for Tyrol and restrict travel to and from there.
On Sunday night this resulted in an open conflict. An agreement could not be reached, and the lockdown was not extended. Instead, non-binding recommendations were made in Tyrol, which Vienna responded to with an equally non-binding travel warning against their own federal state.
There is a fundamental dispute behind the conflict between the Austrian federal government and the Tyrolean provincial government. It is not just a conflict between capital and province, east versus west, and health versus economy. It is a conflict between security and freedom.
While the Austrian federal politicians in the eastern capital Vienna are committed to the health of the general population, the state politicians in the western province of Tyrol stand for the economic interests of their own country. Vienna tries to guarantee security by all means, while Tyrol fights for freedom with all means.
All over the world we are confronted with the same problem in the face of the coronavirus pandemic: how much freedom is our security worth to us? How much economy are we willing to sacrifice for our health?
In the east of the world, with the People’s Republic of China at its center, security is the top priority and, if in doubt, everything is subordinate to it. In the west of the world, with the United States of America at its center, freedom is the top priority and, if in doubt, everything is subordinated to it. In the middle of the world, with the European Union at its center, we try to combine both. In the middle of this center, in Austria, it becomes clear how difficult such an approach is. And right now we are in danger to fail completely.
We will only be successful when we realize that freedom is only possible in security, that our “economy” needs our “health” and that the individual can only be well if the others are also well. The own short-term advantage can only be achieved if everyone benefits from it in the long term. What use is it to the Tyrolean tourism companies if the tourists stay at home sick?
I’m afraid it’s too late for this time. The South African variant will prevail and the coronavirus pandemic will be extended by one year.
What a pity.
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Vienna Calling 