Category: General Interest

In the debate about free tests in Austria, Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) wants to take at least the “living room tests” out of play as of November. Indeed, the free distribution of CoV self-tests by pharmacies is to expire at the end of October, Mückstein announced in a statement. In addition, he wants to evaluate until then whether symptomless people can then continue to be tested for the coronavirus free of charge in pharmacies. Limited until the end of August – extension until the end of OctoberActually, the “living…

Read More

The risk of infection in Austria continues to rise according to the new assessment of the traffic light commission. After Thursday’s meeting, the risk for Austria as a whole is now rated medium, making the country as a whole yellow. Among the federal states, only Burgenland and Carinthia are now yellow-green. In addition to the already yellow provinces of Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria and Styria are now also colored yellow. The Corona Commission has been observing a rising trend in case numbers for several weeks,…

Read More

Pope Francis has called on people worldwide to get vaccinated against Covid-19 via a video message.“Thanks to God and the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us against Covid-19,” the head of the Catholic Church said in the message released early Wednesday. He said the vaccines give hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if everyone works together. Being immunized with approved vaccines and helping to ensure that the majority of people are vaccinated is “an act of love,” the…

Read More

The Corona rules already in force will be extended. The regulations on events and gatherings will be extended until September 17.A corresponding decree from Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) is expected today, Thursday. There are thus no changes to the existing Corona measures for the time being. The regulations on events and gatherings can only be extended for four weeks at a time for legal reasons – so until September 17, gatherings of 100 or more people will still be subject to mandatory notification. From 500 people, they must be…

Read More

The Covid prognosis consortium expects a doubling of Covid patients in intensive care units within 14 days.On Wednesday 59 Covid-19 infected persons required intensive care in Austrian hospitals; in exactly two weeks, the experts’ current estimate is that there will already be 118. In a worst-case scenario, as many as 151 Covid patients could be in need of intensive care on September 1. The normal wards, where 234 Corona patients were treated on Wednesday, are also expected to see a significant increase in Covid 19 infections. The Covid Prognosis Consortium…

Read More

The Austria-wide 1-2-3 ticket will be launched on the national holiday on October 26.Contracts with six provinces, the ÖBB and Regiojet are already fixed – still open is the transport association Ostregion (VOR). In the first full year (2022), 150 million euros have been earmarked for this from the federal budget. The necessary legal basis was adopted in March. Regional climate tickets are also to come in parallel. If the 1-2-3 ticket is implemented in its planned form, an annual ticket costing 1,095 euros will allow passengers to travel throughout…

Read More

With Corona in mind, what should I think about when spending my vacation in Croatia or Italy? Some help on this comes from ÖAMTC. Italy and Croatia: no other destination in Europe comes close to these two destinations in terms of popularity among Austrians. That’s according to a press release from the ÖAMTC. People whose summer vacation is coming up and who are heading to Italy or Croatia should know about “the currently valid, corona-related regulations for entry and the rules on the ground.” ÖAMTC tourism expert clarifies.“The situation can…

Read More

Of the 5,934 coronavirus cases officially reported between Aug. 9 and Aug. 15, 64.2 percent – 3,816 in absolute numbers – were among this group. Strikingly, six- to 14-year-olds now contribute more to the incidence of infection, accounting for 10.7 percent of the total, than do those over 55, who account for 10.5 percent overall. Most corona infections among 15- to 24-year-oldsAs shown in the latest breakdown by age group from the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), 15- to 24-year-olds remain the most affected age group, accounting for…

Read More

Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein can now imagine, for example, only allowing vaccinated people to attend events. Local visit only with vaccination?On Sunday he had still meant to such demands brought forward on the part of the Viennese health town councillor Peter Hacker (SPÖ), this discussion comes “too early”. In the ORF “ZiB” on Tuesday Mückstein said now, for him such a “1G” rule is conceivable starting from October. Mückstein on tightening: “Must talk about 1G”.“I believe that before an increasingly precarious epidemiological situation in the fall, we have to talk…

Read More