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On Tuesday, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) announced in a press conference how things will continue after the lockdown ends. According to the announcement, Christmas markets in Vienna will also be allowed to open on December 13.
Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig proposes to open gradually after the lockdown from December 13, continuing to focus on security. Ludwig announced this on Tuesday at a media briefing following consultations with a panel of experts on the Corona situation. Christmas markets are also to be allowed to open.
Christmas markets should be allowed to open as early as Dec. 13 in Vienna
Christmas markets should be allowed to reopen as early as December 13 – subject to the strict security regulations in place. At least take-away should be allowed at the punch and food stalls at the Christmas markets until the planned gastronomy opening on December 20.
“Certain framework conditions” should also exist for the gastronomy. “I think that a 2G regulation is quite realistic,” Ludwig rejected an additional PCR testing obligation. He also hinted that pubs will have to limit themselves to seating. Which is bad news for clubs, for example: “In my opinion, night catering should still remain closed,” Ludwig said.
Experts advise caution due to new Corona variant
Experts advise caution due to the Omicron variant. Although Vienna currently has the lowest incidence of all federal states, this is no reason to open the door too quickly, said Michael Binder, medical director of the Vienna Health Association and member of the mayor’s expert panel, summarizing the Corona situation in Europe and Austria. According to the experts’ calculations, case numbers will decline in the coming days; the “peak” of the fourth wave has been reached, Binder explained. However, he pointed to the still high burden of Corona patients in intensive care units. Vienna would be well advised to rely on vaccination and to accompany all opening steps with safety measures such as masks and tests – also because of the spreading Omicron variant of the virus.
Omicron variant said to be many times more contagious than Delta
The Omicron variant still plays a minor role in infections, Binder said. However, experience from South Africa suggests that the virus mutation is many times more contagious than the currently predominant Delta variant. Whether delta or omicron, “mask, vaccination and tessten together have the highest efficiency to reduce the impact of the pandemic,” Binder summarized the expert advice.
- source: APA/vienna.at/picture.
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