Category: General Interest

Due to the corona pandemic, Austrians traveled significantly less than usual between July and September. Vacation trips, including visits to relatives and acquaintances, slumped by 16.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of vacation trips thus fell from 7 to 5.9 million and that of travelers by a fifth (-20.6 percent) to 3.4 million. Domestic travel, however, rose sharply, according to Statistics Austria. Fewer vacation trips due to corona pandemicThe number of main vacation trips with at least four overnight stays slumped by 31.2 percent to…

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According to ÖAMTC, parking violators are virtually “hunted down” during Advent: During this time, more towing is done than ever before. High costs are the consequence of towing. Special caution in neighboring parking lotsAccording to the ÖAMTC, towing is always carried out in Vienna, but during the Christmas season, illegal parkers are particularly hunted down: On average, 100 vehicles are towed away every day, 50-60 in the summer months, and more than 200 in December. More than 400 euro costs for wrong parker in ViennaThe fact that especially in Advent…

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This year, 420,000 trees from Styrian Christmas tree farmers are expected to make children’s eyes light up. Before they make their grand appearance on Christmas Eve, they have to grow for an average of ten to fourteen years. The 350 or so Styrian Christmas tree farmers are starting the new sales season: they cut down around 420,000 Christmas trees every year for their big appearance on Christmas Eve. Next Monday, sales will begin in public places in Graz. According to the president of the Chamber of Agriculture, Franz Titschenbacher, about…

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Doing without big family get-togethers at Christmas because of the coronavirus? For 18 percent of people in Austria, this is out of the question, just under 30 percent at least do not want to do without all meetings, as a survey has shown. In the survey by Marketagent.com, 20.4 percent said they would refrain from relatives’ gatherings altogether this time, and “on all of them.” Nearly 30 percent of 500 men and women between the ages of 14 and 75 who were representatively surveyed said, “I will forgo at least…

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The coronavirus vaccination strategy in Austria is available online today on the Ministry of Health website COVID-19-Impfung (sozialministerium.at). According to the graphic and a document dated Dec. 9, there will be three vaccination phases in 2021. The first phase will cover January and February 2021, and here vaccines will be available on a limited basis, according to the Ministry of Health. The target group for this phase will be residents of nursing and retirement homes, as well as healthcare workers and people with certain pre-existing conditions. New vaccination sites depending…

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In the future, personal registrations can be done in the catering and hotel industry as well as in sports facilities, leisure and cultural facilities as well as hospitals and old people’s homes. An amendment to that effect is expected to be passed by the Austrian Parliament on Friday. The police will also be given the authority to check in homes for compliance with quarantine, for example. The reason given for the registrations is that this data could be necessary for tracing contacts. The rule is limited until the middle of…

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The approval of a Covid 19 vaccine is imminent: The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has announced that it will decide on the approval of the BioNTech/ Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the EU on December 29 and January 12, respectively. But does the vaccination really bring the turning point in the pandemic? Experts talked about this in a background discussion. There will be no compulsory vaccination in Austria – Clemens Martin Auer, Covid Special Representative in the Ministry of Health, emphasized this once again. This also applies to people who…

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In the birthplace of Jesus, in Bethlehem, the lights on the Christmas tree in the manger square are on, as they are every year. Only the pilgrims are missing. Due to high infection rates, there is a curfew at night and on weekends. This year, only a handful of local Christians are also allowed to attend Mass at the Church of the Nativity. ItalyFrom December 21 to January 6, Italians are not allowed to leave their home region. Travel between Lombardy and Tuscany, for example, is prohibited. And anyone who…

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Before the EU summit today, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) expressed his hope that vaccinations against coronavirus will soon be available in Europe. “The earlier we can start vaccinating in the EU, the better. Because every day of a pandemic in Europe currently means thousands of deaths, severe economic damage and countless people fearing for their jobs,” Kurz explained in a statement. Another topic of the two-day EU summit in Brussels will be an exchange on the current CoV situation. Kurz thanked EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for the…

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