As in several other European countries, the corona figures are also rising in Austria. The fear that another winter tourist season could fall into the water and the overload of the health care system is now prompting the government to take extra measures.
In order to contain the fourth wave of infections, unvaccinated or people who have not yet been cured of the virus are no longer allowed to enter catering establishments or contact professions. Only after vaccination or recovery are people allowed to attend cultural, sporting or other events.
People who can present a negative test are no longer allowed to go to a café. A negative test only applies to work, but it must be presented every two days. In Austria, less than 65 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. That is less than the European average.
Austria registered 9,388 new corona infections on Friday. That is almost as many as the record number of infections of 9,586 about a year ago. “Intensive care occupancy rates are rising much faster than expected,” said Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg of the conservative ÖVP. “It is quite simply our responsibility to protect the people of our country.”
There will be a transitional period of four weeks during which an initial vaccination and a PCR test will be sufficient to gain access to places where unvaccinated people are not allowed. After that, only fully vaccinated and recovered corona patients are welcome at those locations.
In Germany, too, concerns about the resurgence of the corona virus are increasing. The health ministers of the 16 German federal states have agreed to do more testing in residential care centers. The German state of Saxony has introduced restrictions for unvaccinated people. They are no longer allowed to go to indoor events or the catering industry. In Germany, 67 percent of the population is vaccinated, but some federal states are not doing so well. In Saxony, only 57 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
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