New Corona measures: These are the rules for Vienna

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Vienna’s special approach to corona measures continues to create different rules in the federal capital. Here is an overview of which masks and tests are valid where and for whom.

Vienna takes stricter course with Corona rules
At the beginning of the summer, Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) once again – after already imposing a lockdown at Easter – adopted a more restrictive course in terms of covid prevention. This is possible because the federal states can tighten up their regulations. The measures are valid by decree until the end of September in any case. It cannot be ruled out that Vienna will then extend them.

Masks mandatory in all retail outlets
Specifically, there is currently an obligation to wear a mask, i.e. at least a mouth-nose protection, in all retail outlets in Vienna. The validity of coronatests as a 3-G detection has also been shortened. A rapid antigen test performed in a test lane or in a pharmacy is now only valid for 24 hours instead of the previous 48 hours. For PCR tests, the time limit was reduced from 72 to 48 hours. Only in the case of children under twelve years of age did the previous time periods remain for the two variants.

From September 15: FFP2 compulsory in supermarkets and public transport systems
The federal government has already announced that the first relevant threshold – an occupancy of 200 beds in intensive care units – is likely to be reached from September 15. This means that the first stage will come into force. This means that in Vienna, too, an FFP2 mask will have to be worn in places where, according to federal regulations, simple protection was previously sufficient. This applies to public transport and the food trade.

NMS masks for vaccinated persons in other stores
In other stores, unvaccinated persons are also required to wear FFP2 masks. In contrast to the rest of the country – i.e., if no regional tightening is imposed – according to Viennese regulations, however, even a vaccinated customer must continue to use a mask. Here, however, the simple MNS variant is still sufficient.

The validity period for antigen tests will be reduced to the Viennese value (i.e. 24 hours) from mid-September, which means that residents of the federal capital will not have to change. A difference remains, however, as PCR tests in the other provinces will remain valid for longer than in the capital, as nationwide the time limit remains 72 hours.

As a consequence of the shorter validity period, the testing regime in schools in Vienna has also been changed. Not only is testing more frequent, but PCR examinations are also being used – although in elementary schools it is not gargled, but flushed. The validity periods for in-school and out-of-school testing nevertheless diverge for children twelve years and older, as the longer periods still apply, at least in school.

The living room quick tests are already not allowed in Vienna as proof for hairdressing or gastronomy. It will probably be some time before this is done nationwide and this difference is thus history. After all, this is not planned until the second stage (occupancy of 15 percent of intensive care beds).