Corona: Quarantine rule will be phased-out starting 1 August 2022

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Vienna, Austria – Health Minister Rauch and Labor Minister Kocher announced the quarantine phase-out in a press conference.

The Corona quarantine will be dropped in August. Health Minister Johannes Rauch announced this in a press conference after a meeting with the provincial health officers. Accordingly, anyone who does not feel ill can leave the house even after a positive Corona test but is subject to traffic restrictions. This means FFP2 masks must be worn unless you are outdoors and there are no other people within two meters.

Rauch spoke of a new phase of the pandemic, in which tools to fight the disease are in hand with vaccination and medication. There are also psychological effects from the crisis to consider, he said. Chief Medical Officer Katharina Reich added that Corona is here to stay for the foreseeable future and that people need to be prepared for it. There is an initial “step down” from crisis to acceptance mode. She also pointed out that only 50 percent of those hospitalized with Corona were in the hospital for Covid.

Rauch, however, urged caution. Even in light of the relaxation, she said, what’s clear is that “if you’re sick, you stay home.”

Entry prohibitions defined
Of course, there are still some restrictions. The ordinance defines prohibitions on entering the premises. This applies to hospitals, nursing homes, institutions for the disabled and spas, childcare facilities, elementary schools, and after-school care centers. However, employees are allowed to enter these workplaces, clearly wearing a mask if they are infected.

Work with a positive test will be possible again in the future – precisely when the ordinance comes into force on August 1 – if a mask is worn. However, this does not apply to professions where wearing an act would make it impossible to perform the job, such as speech therapists and musicians.

Risk group regulation reinstated.
As Labor Minister Martin Kocher announced, the risk group regulation will also be reinstated. Thus, persons can be exempted who are at risk of severe courses despite vaccination or who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Employers will be fully reimbursed for the costs. The rule is temporary until the end of October.

There are no restrictions if only currently infected people congregate at the workplace. But here, too, there is an exception. In vulnerable settings such as hospitals, a mask must be worn.

At home, even infected persons are not required to wear a mask as long as only persons of the same household are present; this also applies to private cars. On the other hand, it is allowed to go to restaurants or swimming pools despite a positive test, but only with a mask. This means that you can sit in a restaurant and chat, but you are not allowed to consume anything there.

Traffic restrictions apply for a maximum of ten days
It should be noted that the traffic restrictions do not only run after a positive PCR test but already after an antigen test, which indicates an infection with Covid. If a PCR test does not confirm this, the guidelines fall. The restrictions apply for a maximum of ten days; you can test free after five.

Currently, the rules provide for quarantine for at least five days, after which one can be cleared with a CT value of over 30. Except in Vienna, restrictions apply after five days until the tenth if you are still positive.