More Holy Masses at Christmas

There will be an increased number of Holy Masses during the Christmas holidays so that the number of people celebrating can be spread out more evenly. The member churches of the Ecumenical Council of Churches have agreed on this. Furthermore, congregations are to be encouraged to broadcast services via video. If possible, a registration system for those attending services is also to be offered, or services are to be staggered. The previous protective measures, which the Ministry of Culture and the churches had already agreed on a week ago, will…

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UN chief urges global cooperation on vaccinations

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged close international coordination on coronavirus vaccinations. “The pandemic is a crisis like no other, in which the world faces a common enemy. Unfortunately, governments have not responded together to this global threat,” Guterres said today at the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The meeting this time focused on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Responses to the novel virus were chaotic and uncoordinated in the early months, the Portuguese said. Countries, regions and even cities competed for basic supplies, he said. That should not…

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126 more deaths and 2,893 new infections in Austria

In Austria, 126 more deaths of people infected with Corona were reported within 24 hours Friday morning. This means that 4,289 people have died with the virus so far. The number of new infections was 2,893 cases, the Interior and Health Ministries announced. With 3,838 recovered at the same time, the number of actively ill people dropped by 1,071 to 38,789 affected. Hospitals were still treating 3,651 people on Friday, including 572 in intensive care units. In hospitals, there was a decrease of 129 affected, including a minus of 13…

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Antibody study: So many Austrians were infected undetected

About 349,000 people, or 4.7 percent of the population, had contracted Covid-19 infection across Austria by mid- or late October. This is the result of the first nationwide antibody study presented by Statistik Austria and the Ministry of Education on Friday. Sixty-one percent of those who tested positive for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 had not previously been registered as Corona cases. The so-called seroprevalence is higher in the West than in the East. Between Nov. 12-14, blood was drawn from 2,229 people over the age of 16 as part of the…

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“Time” names Biden and Harris Persons of the Year

The elected U.S. President Joe Biden (78) and his Vice President Kamala Harris (56) have been chosen by “Time Magazine” as the people of the year. This was announced by rock superstar Bruce Springsteen (71) last night (local time) on the NBC channel. “The next four years will be a tremendous test for them and for all of us to see if they can bring about the unity they promised,” said “Time” editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal. Biden, a Democrat, had won against Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 presidential…

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Coronavirus: Austrians traveled one-fifth less in summer

Due to the corona pandemic, Austrians traveled significantly less than usual between July and September. Vacation trips, including visits to relatives and acquaintances, slumped by 16.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of vacation trips thus fell from 7 to 5.9 million and that of travelers by a fifth (-20.6 percent) to 3.4 million. Domestic travel, however, rose sharply, according to Statistics Austria. Fewer vacation trips due to corona pandemicThe number of main vacation trips with at least four overnight stays slumped by 31.2 percent to…

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Parking violations in Advent 2020 in Vienna: cost more than 400 Euros

According to ÖAMTC, parking violators are virtually “hunted down” during Advent: During this time, more towing is done than ever before. High costs are the consequence of towing. Special caution in neighboring parking lotsAccording to the ÖAMTC, towing is always carried out in Vienna, but during the Christmas season, illegal parkers are particularly hunted down: On average, 100 vehicles are towed away every day, 50-60 in the summer months, and more than 200 in December. More than 400 euro costs for wrong parker in ViennaThe fact that especially in Advent…

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Corona vaccine from Biontech close to approval in the USA

An expert panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended emergency approval of the Corona vaccine from German company Biontech and its U.S. partner Pfizer. The panel voted in favor of U.S. approval in a public meeting Thursday, meaning it could now be decided within days. To be sure, the expert panel’s vote is not binding. But there is every indication that the Biontech vaccine will soon receive emergency approval. The FDA had already declared on Tuesday that it considered the vaccine to be safe and effective.…

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France imposes curfew for New Year’s Eve

? Because of the Corona pandemic, the French are not allowed to celebrate the turn of the year outdoors: the government imposed a curfew for New Year’s Eve from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., as Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on Thursday evening. Castex cited the excessively high numbers of new infections as the reason. “We have not yet reached the end of the second wave”the head of government stressed. ▶️ Other planned Corona relaxations will therefore be postponed, Castex went on to say: cinemas, theaters and museums, for example,…

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