Category: General Interest

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged close international coordination on coronavirus vaccinations. “The pandemic is a crisis like no other, in which the world faces a common enemy. Unfortunately, governments have not responded together to this global threat,” Guterres said today at the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The meeting this time focused on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Responses to the novel virus were chaotic and uncoordinated in the early months, the Portuguese said. Countries, regions and even cities competed for basic supplies, he said. That should not…

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About 349,000 people, or 4.7 percent of the population, had contracted Covid-19 infection across Austria by mid- or late October. This is the result of the first nationwide antibody study presented by Statistik Austria and the Ministry of Education on Friday. Sixty-one percent of those who tested positive for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 had not previously been registered as Corona cases. The so-called seroprevalence is higher in the West than in the East. Between Nov. 12-14, blood was drawn from 2,229 people over the age of 16 as part of the…

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The elected U.S. President Joe Biden (78) and his Vice President Kamala Harris (56) have been chosen by “Time Magazine” as the people of the year. This was announced by rock superstar Bruce Springsteen (71) last night (local time) on the NBC channel. “The next four years will be a tremendous test for them and for all of us to see if they can bring about the unity they promised,” said “Time” editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal. Biden, a Democrat, had won against Republican incumbent Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 presidential…

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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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