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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Almost 30,000 new infections and 600 deaths in Germany

Coronavirus numbers are again rising significantly in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) today reported new highs in both the number of new infections and the number of coronavirus deaths: 29,875 people were registered as newly infected within 24 hours – a good 6,000 more than a week ago. The total number of infections in Germany is 1,272,078. Also the number of humans died at or with the Coronavirus reached a new high value with 598. In total, there are thus 20,970 registered deaths related to the virus in Germany…

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420,000 trees waiting for Christmas

This year, 420,000 trees from Styrian Christmas tree farmers are expected to make children’s eyes light up. Before they make their grand appearance on Christmas Eve, they have to grow for an average of ten to fourteen years. The 350 or so Styrian Christmas tree farmers are starting the new sales season: they cut down around 420,000 Christmas trees every year for their big appearance on Christmas Eve. Next Monday, sales will begin in public places in Graz. According to the president of the Chamber of Agriculture, Franz Titschenbacher, about…

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Many plan family reunions at Christmas

Doing without big family get-togethers at Christmas because of the coronavirus? For 18 percent of people in Austria, this is out of the question, just under 30 percent at least do not want to do without all meetings, as a survey has shown. In the survey by Marketagent.com, 20.4 percent said they would refrain from relatives’ gatherings altogether this time, and “on all of them.” Nearly 30 percent of 500 men and women between the ages of 14 and 75 who were representatively surveyed said, “I will forgo at least…

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Three-step COVID vaccination strategy available online

The coronavirus vaccination strategy in Austria is available online today on the Ministry of Health website COVID-19-Impfung (sozialministerium.at). According to the graphic and a document dated Dec. 9, there will be three vaccination phases in 2021. The first phase will cover January and February 2021, and here vaccines will be available on a limited basis, according to the Ministry of Health. The target group for this phase will be residents of nursing and retirement homes, as well as healthcare workers and people with certain pre-existing conditions. New vaccination sites depending…

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Registration in gastro comes, police may enter apartments

In the future, personal registrations can be done in the catering and hotel industry as well as in sports facilities, leisure and cultural facilities as well as hospitals and old people’s homes. An amendment to that effect is expected to be passed by the Austrian Parliament on Friday. The police will also be given the authority to check in homes for compliance with quarantine, for example. The reason given for the registrations is that this data could be necessary for tracing contacts. The rule is limited until the middle of…

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