Category: General Interest

Signs point to an extension of distance learning in schools. According to plan, face-to-face classes were to start again as early as next Monday. But now schools could remain closed until the semester break after all. This has apparently been confirmed to the “Kronen Zeitung” from government circles. The daily newspaper “Österreich” also reports this. There is no official statement on this yet. Education Minister Heinz Faßmann wanted to announce a decision by the middle of the week at the latest. At the moment, according to the Chancellor’s Office, talks…

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The majority of all old people’s and nursing homes will be vaccinated against the coronavirus within two weeks. In Lower Austria and Carinthia, this goal could already be achieved by the end of this week, said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). In a statement to APA, he expressed his delight that the accelerated vaccination strategy was working – and that the goal of coronavirus protection for the homes could thus be achieved much sooner than expected. About two-thirds of nursing home residents are currently being vaccinated in the first wave, Kurz…

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U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna today began shipping its coronavirus vaccine in Europe. The company made the announcement in Frankfurt, Germany. A large international logistics company will distribute the active ingredient, which is produced in a pharmaceutical factory in Switzerland, to the individual national states, it said. For each country, there will be a central warehouse to which the contractually agreed vaccine doses will be delivered. In the warehouses, the respective state authorities would take over and organize further distribution, Moderna said. The company did not provide further details. The EU…

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Starting Friday, an entry regulation comes into force. One must register online before traveling. This also applies to Austrians. The Foreign Ministry sent out a corresponding information to Austrians abroad on Monday afternoon. The quarantine obligation after entry remains in effect until further notice. Only after five days one can free oneself. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, commuters, transients, and persons arriving for urgent family matters that cannot be postponed, such as a funeral, will neither have to undergo the ten-day quarantine nor register. Individuals entering from a…

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Vacation travel during the Easter vacations will continue to be very limited in the view of the German government’s tourism commissioner, Thomas Bareiß (CDU), because of the pandemic. “I think that travel is something that is still very difficult to imagine for the next two or three months,” he said today on RTL and ntv’s “Frühstart” program. He does not expect things to improve until the second quarter, he said. “From Pentecost onward, it will be better again. And I hope that then the summer will be a very big…

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Easy and fast access to Corona testing is the order of the day. In front of this hospital, you can already get tested at a “COVID Automaten.” Anyone who finds a nasal swab uncomfortable and/or wants to take a proper PCR test instead of a rapid test can already do so quickly and easily at a vending machine in Austria. So far, however, only at one location, the Tauernklinikum in Zell am See (Salzburg). There, a “do it yourself” machine is located in front of the entrance, where you can…

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280,000 of 1.7 million affected people have already received mail and masks from the government. The campaign should be completed by the end of January Vienna – The announcement was made a long time ago: the government wanted to send free FFP2 masks to all people over the age of 65 living in Austria. Each person is to receive ten pieces, they will be delivered by mail. The idea is that older people will be better prepared for the Corona pandemic. Some masks have already been delivered throughout Austria, but…

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Pope Francis says he will receive a Covid-19 vaccination next week. He urged all people on Saturday to get vaccinated to protect not only their own lives but also those of everyone else. Pope Francis wants to get vaccinated against the coronavirus and urges all the faithful to do the same. “I think it’s ethical for everyone to get vaccinated. It is an ethical matter because one’s own health and also the lives of other people are at stake,” Pope Francis said in an interview with the TV channel “Canale…

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After the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol by radical supporters of President Donald Trump, the online service Twitter has drawn consequences: The personal account of the outgoing head of state has been “permanently” blocked, the California-based company announced. The reason for this was “the risk of further incitement to violence”. Shortly before the change of office in the White House, the Democrats are calling for a new impeachment trial against Trump. Criticism is also growing in the ranks of the Republicans. The decision to permanently block Trump’s Twitter account…

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