Mask requirement, curfew and limits on events drop on July 1

Spread the love

Read Time:2 Minute, 49 Second

Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) announced on Thursday the next opening steps starting July 1. Activities in public: clubs, culture and gastronomy will soon be able to open and take place again largely without restrictions – only the three-G rule remains. The mask requirement also falls almost everywhere. “It’s wonderful that we can finally get back to normal,” Kurz said.

The relaxations in detail:
The 24-hour curfew in restaurants will be abolished – allowing clubs to open. The occupancy rate is still limited to 75 percent until July 22. In addition, masks will no longer have to be worn at all in pubs. Customer registration will remain in place until July 22.
Large events “will also be possible again without restrictions,” Kurz explained. There will be no mask requirement or restrictions on the size of the audience – only the three-G rule will continue to apply, so guests must be tested, vaccinated or recovered. Events with 100 or more people must be registered, and events with 500 or more people must be approved.
The mask requirement will be lifted to a large extent. FFP2 masks will only be mandatory in hospitals and nursing homes as of July 1. Mouth-nose protection (MNS) must be worn on public transportation, in retail stores and in museums. As of July 22, the MNS requirement will only apply at all in public transportation and in stores selling daily necessities.
Distance rules and square meter restrictions will also be lifted completely from July 1, and this applies to all areas. All other contact restrictions will also be dropped, so people will again be allowed to meet whoever they want.
Mückstein: Be in solidarity with the youth
The steps are very important, especially for young people, said Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens): “Now it’s your turn, now the clubs are finally opening, now the festivals can take place. Now it’s up to us to stand in solidarity with the young ones.”

Tourism Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) recognizes in the steps “also an economic sigh of relief” for many hard-hit businesses and industries. The fact that masks will no longer be compulsory indoors as of July 1 is positive for tourism and gastronomy, she said, “because above all the smiles of service staff are also thoroughly enjoyable.” The reopening of weddings is an important step, he said, because “there are several thousand wedding couples waiting for the most beautiful day of their lives.” But it will also be easier for trade fairs, congresses and other events because square meter rules will fall.

Booking in Austria
The booking situation in Austrian tourism is currently “excellent,” but Köstinger still calls for people to spend this summer in Austria. “If you are drawn to the sea after all, please be sure to book with an Austrian travel agency,” because “only there are then corresponding cancellation options and travel insurance,” Köstinger said. Cancellation possibilities and travel insurances are available of course also with offerers outside of Austria.

State Secretary for Culture Andrea Mayer (Greens) emphasized that pop culture, subcultures and club cultures are all “essential parts of our cultural landscape in Austria.” And “from July 1, all events, whether seated or standing, indoors or outdoors, can once again take place without audience restrictions and without capacity limitations.” The mask requirement will also be dropped for indoor events.