Austria at the top of the next wave. But Vienna is better than Prague
Restaurants, theaters, cinemas, sports facilities, but also visits to maternity hospitals, nursing homes and hospitals – the people of Austria will not get everywhere now unless they have been vaccinated or have undergone covid. A negative test is no longer enough. The rules apply to everyone over the age of 15. In Vienna, the regulation is even stricter: it applies to everyone from the age of 12.
Reason? Austria is at the peak of another coronavirus wave and the authorities are trying to prevent a wave of lockdowns, as the country experienced exactly a year ago and which actually ended this spring.
Obligation to fall
Instead of the 3G rule (geimpft – vaccinated, genesen – cured, getestet – tested), Austria and neighboring Germany introduced the 2G rule. From Monday, November 8, 2021, only vaccinated and cured people can access all places to which people had access while meeting 3G.
According to the Der Standard, the current regulations can be used as an inconspicuous introduction of vaccination obligations. Although Austria is better at coronavirus vaccination than the Czechia, it has not even succeeded in achieving collective immunity with less than 63% of the vaccinated population.
We don’t want flat lockdowns, but we don’t rule them out
According to the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), the seven-day incidence of new infections rose to 566.8. The lowest incidence is in the capital Vienna (347.3) and Burgenland (430.4).
Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg did not rule out a return to ORF stores on television until the November lockdown, when almost all were closed. But he said it was the last resort.
There is also a quarantine for the vaccinated in the game
The list of reports addressed epidemiologist Gerald Gartlehner, an evidence-based medicine specialist at the Danube University in Kremža. He has previously indicated in the media that quarantine may extend to vaccinated persons over time if the current measures prove insufficient.
“We know that vaccinated people can also become infected, and we also know that their viral load can be very high at first, as high as that of unvaccinated people. But then it drops relatively quickly, “Gartlehner pointed out. “No one to say.” Seriously before, the 2G regime will be maintained until Christmas is enough
The government has the support of the federal states and entrepreneurs
Apart from cultural and sports facilities or hospitals, unvaccinated people are now not even allowed, for example, in hotels or ski resorts.
The Austrian Länder have taken this step without support. Entrepreneurs in the hospitality and tourism industry also showed understanding for him. “The government had no choice because of the dynamics of the disease,” said Robert Seeber, who represents entrepreneurs in the industry.
“In addition, responsible infection management is an important signal for clients and business partners, especially Germany,” he added. Now, he said, everything must be done to ensure that business is not damaged again by official travel warnings, especially during the ski seasons.
Responsible infection management is an important signal for clients and business partners, especially Germany.
Now hoteliers are coining the slogan “Better a certain season than none”, they mostly demand proof of vaccination and if they are worried about something, it is just an unpleasant travel.
The worst are Upper Austria and Salzburg
Upper Austria (872.6 per 100,000) recorded the highest regional infections, followed by the federal state of Salzburg (869.3). The lowest incidence is in the capital Vienna (347.3) and Burgenland (430.4). For comparison: The current weekly incidence in Prague is 532.3 per 100 thousand inhabitants.
Interest in vaccinations has increased
Following the announcement of new measures, ie the 2G rules, interest in vaccinations tripled in the first few days compared to the long-term daily average. Long queues formed in the vaccination sites.
In the end, however, it turned out that only a third of all applicants came for the first dose. In addition, they will not help much in the current situation, because they will have immunity in six weeks. More than half of the people came for the strengthening third dose – the reactions are very similar to those in the Czech Republic.
The government will not just withdraw the current measures. Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has announced that they will pay at Christmas.
History of Austrian lockdowns since autumn 2020
- On November 3, 2020, the country introduced the so-called lockdown light: shops and personal service providers remained in operation, as did primary and nursery schools. High schools and universities switched to distance learning. Movement at night was restricted, restaurants, entertainment facilities, theaters, museums, cinemas and hotels were closed.
- On November 17, 2020, a hard lockdown came (seven-day transmission of infectious persons: 535 per 100,000, 4.5 thousand patients in hospitals, more than 650 in intensive care units): shops other than food and drugstores or pharmacies and the vast majority of services were closed (except primary and health care), a curfew was ordered in unjustified cases.
- After three weeks, on December 7, it was again excluded only at night, after which the Christmas markets were canceled and the holidays could only be celebrated by a maximum of 10 people.
- For Štěpán, the rules tightened again: All-day curfew, with justified exceptions, only two people could meet if they were not from the same household.
- The period of hard lockdowns did not end until March 8, when traders were able to reopen and schools returned to full-time teaching. A person did not get to the hairdresser’s without a negative test. Restaurants and theaters remained closed and night curfew continued.