NEW REGULATION APPLIES: These occupational groups now have to take the corona test

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In addition to new distance rules (two meters) and mandatory FFP2 masks (in public transport and retail, among other places), a new testing requirement also applies as of Monday: hundreds of thousands of Austrians belonging to certain occupational groups should go for a Covid rapid test at least once a week.

Austrians who work in the health and care sector already know them: the weekly Covid tests that have accompanied them for months. However, as of Monday, January 25, additional occupational groups must undergo weekly testing.

The following occupational groups are also affected:

Employees in retail
Employees in service companies with customer contact
Employees in public transport
Workers in warehouse logistics, if the minimum distance is not reached
Teachers and elementary school teachers
Employees in public service with party contact
Top athletes in contact and team sports

FFP2 mask for tose who do not want to be tested
The rule here is that those who have not been tested must wear an FFP2 mask. For those who have been tested, mouth-to-nose protection is sufficient. In the health and care sector, both testing and FFP2 masks (when in contact with patients or residents) are mandatory.

Testing possibilities in Vienna
The City of Vienna is expanding its corona testing services due to the new mandated occupational group testing. In addition to the existing test lanes at the Happel Stadium, on the Danube Island and at the Austria Center, as of Monday there will also be the opportunity for all federal capitals to be checked for a virus infection free of charge at the Vienna Stadthalle. An overview of all test offers of the city of Vienna as well as the reservation of test dates in the city hall can be made on the Website of the city under http://coronavirus.wien.gv.at/testangebote. Registration for occupational testing is required.

Testing opportunities in Lower Austria
The province of Lower Austria is also offering free rapid antigen testing at 120 locations in all districts starting Monday. All locations and opening hours are now available at www.testung.at. A pre-registration serves the faster completion, is however not obligatory, one is informed after the test as already also by SMS about the result. In Lower Austria, about 1.25 million antigen tests have already been performed in recent months.

All other federal states also offer testing, Salzburg for example at https://anmeldung.salzburg-testet.at or Styria at https://www.testen.steiermark.at. Pre-registration is recommended everywhere, even if it is not mandatory in some cases.