The mask requirement in vulnerable areas such as hospitals and nursing homes will end on April 30, 2023.All measures (mandatory masking, free testing, vaccination centers, etc.) will end throughout Austria on June 30, 2023.In Vienna, the mask requirement in pharmacies and public transport will remain in place until the end of February. Tests and vaccinations should continue to be available in ordinations and other health facilities. That is to be negotiated in the coming weeks, he said.Health Minister Johannes Rauch and Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler heralded the end of the…
Read MoreNew 150-euro bonus for parents of school children fixed in Upper Austria
The cost of school supplies is becoming a challenge for many parents in times of inflation. A 150-euro bonus is designed to help. The cost of children’s education is rising. Many parents don’t know what to do because of extremely expensive energy, high rent prices, and high credit installments. While the federal government has already launched a variety of subsidies and bonus payments, there is also a package of measures from the state of Upper Austria. For example, the subsidies for heating and energy costs for low-income households have been…
Read MoreGovernment plans the end of all Corona measures in Austria on 30 June 2023! At the end of April, mask obligation falls
The federal government plans to end all Corona crisis measures by the end of June. Vaccinations, tests and medications are to be integrated into the regular structures of the Austrian healthcare system by then. Corona will then also no longer be a notifiable disease. This was decided by the Council of Ministers today. The end of compulsory mask use in hospitals, retirement and nursing homes is already planned for the end of April. The high level of immunity in the population and the availability of COVID-19 drugs allow this step,…
Read MoreA lot of fresh snow is expected until the middle of next week
Meteorologists warned on Wednesday of coming partly large amounts of fresh snow. “In the next few days, moist air will flow into Austria from the northwest, accumulating on the northern side of the Alps and bringing heavy snowfall here at times,” Christian Pehsl of Geosphere Austria (formerly ZAMG) explained in a statement. Therefore, there could be problems on roads, railroad lines and in the power supply, for example, if trees fall under the snow load. “Especially in the area from Vorarlberg to northern Tyrol, Salzburg and Upper Austria to the…
Read MorePope talks about colonialism in Africa
Exploitation, deforestation, global warming, violence, bloodshed: On his multi-day trip to Africa, the pope addresses the issues shaking the continent. Francis is not caught up here by the home-grown problems of the Catholic Church. During his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis condemned “economic colonialism” in Africa. “Political exploitation gave way to economic colonialism, which was equally enslaving,” the 86-year-old head of the Catholic Church said during a speech at the presidential palace in the capital, Kinshasa. “As a result, this country, which has been massively plundered,…
Read MoreCorona: 5 signs you’ve had it already!
It’s sometimes hard to tell if you’ve already had corona disease. Not every test is positive. In addition, many don’t get tested at all. However, these five signs will tell you if you’ve already had corona. How can you tell if you’ve already had corona? That’s what many are asking after more than two years of the pandemic and the even more contagious Omicron variants. That’s because not everyone has been tested for coronavirus right away, or perhaps even misjudged the symptoms. The problem is that it is usually quite…
Read MoreStarting today, highway toll sticker in Austria will take effect. What does it cost to drive without this?
From today, February 1, 2023, the new Vignette must be attached to cars, motorcycles and light motor vehicles for the highway. The tariff for the annual Vignette is €96.40 (for cars) or €38.20 (for motorcycles). 10-day and 2-month vignettes are also available. Those who forgot to buy the digital Vignette until today and still want to take advantage of its benefits (no problems with broken windshields, for example), drive to the nearest ARBÖ test center or ÖAMTC offices and can obtain the digital Vignette there, which is valid immediately because…
Read MoreApple could soon bring foldable iPad
Apple is used to giving new technologies more time before integrating them into their own devices. They also stayed true to this strategy with foldable displays. While the competition – such as Samsung – has already launched several generations of foldable devices, Apple has remained cautious. But that could change soon, as the usually well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo writes on Twitter. Apple is expected to launch a foldable iPad as early as next year. The foldable iPad is supposed to come with a carbon base, bringing growth to the supplier…
Read MoreIn February, Austrians will face changes in the “Pickerl” for their cars
The §57a certificate will have a new layout and a QR code printed, ÖAMTC reported on Monday. With the help of this QR code, an electronic version of the expert opinion can be retrieved from the central database free of charge. The new regulation will take effect on February 2. According to ÖAMTC, these changes bring advantages for consumers: “The QR code on the §57a appraisal brings security in particular when buying a used car. This makes it very easy to check the authenticity of the appraisal,” explains ÖAMTC technician…
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