Austrian News

For meetings in a larger circle, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day remain the exceptions, on New Year’s Eve the current contact restrictions apply. The federal states will also have the option of partially introducing a mask requirement outdoors as well. In addition, this will be mandatory in the workplace if the distance can not be maintained. Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler (Green Party) and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (Austrian People’s Party) gave a Press Conference on the current Corona development on Friday evening after a video conference with the provincial governors. Vienna…

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There will be an increased number of Holy Masses during the Christmas holidays so that the number of people celebrating can be spread out more evenly. The member churches of the Ecumenical Council of Churches have agreed on this. Furthermore, congregations are to be encouraged to broadcast services via video. If possible, a registration system for those attending services is also to be offered, or services are to be staggered. The previous protective measures, which the Ministry of Culture and the churches had already agreed on a week ago, will…

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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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