Category: General Interest

The topic of Christmas during the Corona crisis is polarizing within Europe. The EU Commission sees this as a particular risk of renewed spread and urges caution. In general, the Brussels authority recommends that the member states do not relax the rules for meetings in the first place. And if they do, then only with strict quarantine conditions for at least seven days before and after, it says. Contacts should always be limited and reduced to the same people during the holidays. Residential community may not be leftItaly’s government is…

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“Baby elephant” is the Austrian word of the year 2020, and by a large margin the symbol for the minimum distance to avoid SARS-CoV-2 infection. The second place was already taken by “Corona” itself. The expert jury, headed by Rudolf Muhr from the “Gesellschaft für Österreichisches Deutsch” (GSÖD – Society for Austrian German language), justified the choice, which was made in cooperation with the APA – Austria Press Agency. In third place was the ambiguous “verblümeln”, according to the jury an “ironic play on words with the name of the…

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Trade union and chamber of commerce agreed on a special collective agreement.The social partners have agreed on an extension of opening hours in the retail sector on 8, 12 and 19 December in order to unbundle the flow of customers somewhat after the relaxation of the Corona lockdown. On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), retailers can exceptionally open between 09.00 and 19.00 hours. Previously, opening hours on December 8 were limited to 10.00 to 18.00 hours. On the two remaining shopping Saturdays before Christmas, December 12 and…

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According to the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), under certain circumstances one should also wear a mouth and nose protector at home. Especially if you receive visits from outsiders and the ventilation does not work well or its effect cannot be properly assessed. In recommendations updated on Wednesday, it is stated that this is necessary “regardless of whether a distance of at least one meter can be maintained”. As far as the storage of protective masks is concerned, the masks should not be worn on the arm…

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The Lockdown is responsible for the fact that in several provinces in Austria at present substantially more garbage is produced. Because of the on-line trade there is a third more cardboard boxes. The lockdown also means that more bulky waste is being disposed. This causes additional costs. In Lienz in East Tyrol there are 60 garbage collection posts which overflow these days again and again. It is because of the bulky cardboard waste that causes a 30 percent increase in waste. According to Gerlinde Küberl, chairwoman of the Lienz environmental…

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The United Nations wants to help hundreds of thousands of sailors who are stuck on their ships because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a resolution passed yesterday by 193 countries, the UN member states will call for seafarers to be classified as systemically relevant. This should ensure that the approximately 400,000 stranded seafarers can return to their home countries despite the worldwide travel restrictions and that the crews of the ships can be replaced. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had already drawn attention to the desperate situation of the stranded…

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According to media reports, the Austrian government plans to introduce strict entry restrictions for the Christmas holidays. All those entering Austria from countries with a 7-day incidence of more than 100 (per 100,000 inhabitants) will have to spend ten days in quarantine. Corresponding reports have been confirmed to the APA from circles of officials. All neighboring countries would be affected. The measure is to come into force before Christmas and is to last at least until 10 January. Those affected should be able to leave quarantine after five days at…

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Santa Claus will also come to many children via screen this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, parishes often rely on alternative visits to St. Nicholas in digital form, for example as a live visit via video platforms and messenger services. The latest guidelines of the Austrian government also make it possible for St. Nicholas to come home. However, he is not allowed to enter the apartments, but only to the front door. “The message of Saint Nicholas is always up to date, especially this year. To stand up for…

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457,197 people were without a job in November this year. This is an increase of 24.9 percent or 91,247 people compared to last year. Compared to October, there was an increase of 33,447 people, an increase of around 3,300 people compared to the previous week. Of the 457,197 people without a job, 390,858 were registered as unemployed with the Public Employment Service (AMS) – an increase of 30.5 percent or 91,331 people within a year. A further 66,339 people were in training, according to the Ministry of Labor on Tuesday.…

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