Turnaround in Austria: Chancellor confirms withdrawal of corona measures – many Germans are also affected
Turnaround in Austria: Chancellor Nehammer noted that central corona measures were being withdrawn – despite the continued increase in the number of infections. News ticker.
- Austria’s seven-day incidence is around 2400, and the number of infections continues to rise.
- The peak of the omicron wave is expected for the first week of February.
- Nevertheless, from February 5th and 12th important coronavirusprotective measures withdrawn.
Update from January 30, 5:15 p.m: Austria is changing the rules in the coronavirus pandemic despite the Omicron and the high number of infections. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) announced further easing from February 5 after the end of the lockdown for unvaccinated people. The curfew in the catering trade is to be pushed back from 10 p.m. to midnight. But that’s not all.
Now the Constitutional Court (VfGH) has also intervened. As several media reports, the court wants to know from the Federal Ministry of Health how justified measures such as the lockdown or the 2G rule were. By February 18, the judges will ask the ministry for answers to ten questions. The Constitutional Court had previously received a number of complaints against the federal government’s Corona regulations.
Corona pandemic in Austria: high number of infections, situation in hospitals stable
Update from January 30, 4:05 p.m: Austria is recording further high numbers of infections in the corona pandemic. The situation in the intensive care units and in the hospitals, i.e. the hospitals, is stable, according to several media reports. According to this, 21,127 new infections with the corona virus were registered in the Alpine Republic on Saturday.
Compared to Germany, this number would have to be multiplied by ten or at least nine by inhabitants. According to the daily newspaper ÖSTERREICH – as of Saturday – 1,448 Covid patients were in the hospitals between Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Graz. 177 corona patients were therefore treated in intensive care units. Within a week, the number of corona patients in intensive care fell by 15.
Corona pandemic in Austria: 2G obligation in bars and hotels ended on February 19
Update from January 30, 11:06 am: oe24.at provides more details about the new phased easing plan (see previous update). As already reported, the 2G obligation in pubs and hotels should end on February 19. The Austrian portal notes that there are still no holidays in “Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate and other German federal states” on this day.
“Tourism companies are hoping for a turbo,” it writes. The report goes on to say that if a PCR test is not available, unvaccinated people could also present a negative antigen test that was no more than 24 hours old.
Corona loosening: Austria moves gastro curfew to the rear
Update from January 29, 4:30 p.m.: Despite the high number of infections, the clinics in Austria are not heavily burdened. This is now prompting the Austrian government to relax further corona measures. As recently as Friday, individual federal states had pushed for an end to the curfew and trade associations for an end to 2G in retail. Federal Health Minister Mückstein only wanted to tackle further easing after the expected peak of the omicron wave in ten to twelve days.
Now the turning point on Saturday: Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) declares a withdrawal of measures:
- From February 5, the curfew will be moved from 10 p.m. to midnight.
- From February 12, 2G will be in stores.
- From February 19th, the 3G rule will apply again in gastronomy and tourism instead of the 2G rule.
Austria: Important corona measures are apparently to be postponed
First report from January 28, 3:19 p.m.:
Vienna – The key date in Austria is February 1, 2022. From this date, the validity of the Corona*-Vaccination after the second dose shortened from nine to six months. In neighboring Austria, around 490,000 people are affected by the rule, reports oe24.at. Anyone who cannot show a booster by Tuesday will no longer have any available 2G proof from Tuesday (February 2nd). Since 60,000 vaccination certificates would expire anyway according to the old rule – nine months – a total of 550,000 people would be affected, the Austrian online portal calculates. Two weeks ago there were still 897,000 people.
In the meantime, many boosters have obviously gotten themselves. According to the Ministry of Health, they were informed via the Green Passport app via a push message about the expiry of the vaccination certificate. However, those who have deactivated their push setting will not notice it.
Austria: Deadline for expiration of vaccination certificates could be postponed
The expiry date on February 1, 2022 is apparently on the brink, as the ORF reports. The deadline WILL possibly be postponed or a transitional period introduced. The Ministry of Health said that the question was “in the final vote”. More information should be available on Friday afternoon. The national crisis coordination (GECKO) is also dealing with the postponement of the deadline.
Recently there has been a lot of criticism of the deadline. There will be an exception for under 18s from February 1st. Their vaccination certificate is valid for 210 days – i.e. seven months after the first vaccination series. The vaccination certificate after the booster vaccination is still valid for 270 days – nine months. And exactly: On February 1st occurs Austria also passed the law on compulsory vaccination.
Despite Omicron: relaxation of the corona measure in Austria
fur Unvaccinated people in Austria will end the lockdown next Monday (January 31).. Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) promised further easing of the corona measures. Meanwhile, in the Alpine republic, the 2G rule applies in so-called non-essential trade and the curfew of 10 p.m. in gastronomy. But these tightened corona rules should be dropped as soon as possible.
The curfew has long been a thorn in the side of the tourism industry. Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg are pushing for an end to the curfew, Austrian media reports. The ÖVP state governors and the trade association are also insisting on an end to 2G in retail. According to a voice from Tyrol, unvaccinated people should be able to go shopping again. Because for the unvaccinated, the lockdown continues due to the 2G rule in retail and gastronomy.
Omicron wave in Austria – incidence at 2,381
Meanwhile grazes Austria* omicron. 38,631 new coronavirus infections have been recorded in the past 24 hours. This is announced by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Interior. The nationwide incidence is 2,381.2 (previous day: 2,264.5). Tyrol has the highest value with 3,130.4 (previous day: 3,066.6), growth of Vienna with 2,841.1 (previous day: 2,781.1). The 7-day incidence is lowest in Lower Austria (1,908.2) and in Burgenland (1,958.4).
According to Federal Health Minister Wolfgang Mückenstein (Greens), the omicron peak is reached in ten to twelve days. As he said on ORF on Thursday evening, Mückstein will only relax the measures afterwards, depending on the forecast.
Schools in Austria at the limit because of Omikron
The Omicron wave has hit Austria’s schools. In the five to 14-year-olds, the incidence is currently 4,7071, as in oe.42.at is to be experienced. According to the Ministry of Education, 2,600 classes and nine schools have switched to distance learning. Face-to-face teaching would take place in 95 percent of the classes. With the PCR tests, the countries are now reaching their limits. The number of positive tests is increasing rapidly. Each individual sample must be re-examined individually in the pool of ten tests.
In Vienna will be the PCR tests* decided at the schools about the program “Everything gargles”. It is the only federal state that conducts PCR tests at least twice a week. In the school tests between January 17th and 22nd, 6,732 students tested positive for Corona. 387 corona cases were reported among teachers and school staff standard.at. According to a spokesman, the number has increased rapidly compared to the previous week. According to the federal capital Vienna, there are 92,347 active cases as of January 27th. (ml)
Europe: Corona rules overview: loosen or lockdown? So Europe treats Omikron in fundamentally different ways*.*Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
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